Swearing-in ceremonies were held in the courtroom of Judge John Atkins Friday morning for those taking up their responsibilities as Christian County Circuit Court Clerk and Commonwealth’s Attorney.
Neither woman is a stranger to the position however, as both Circuit Court Clerk Paige Parker and Commonwealth’s Attorney Maureen Leamy were unopposed in their bids for re-election on November’s general election ballot. Leamy has been serving as the Commonwealth Attorney since 2023, so this will be her first full term in the office, while Parker has been serving as the Circuit Court Clerk for the last six years.
And she says that time has flown by, and she feels her office has done a lot to be proud of in that time. Parker says they’ve managed to fully archive all physical records into digital, improve the electronic record keeping in the Christian County justice system, and streamline the process for automatic expungements.
Looking towards the future, Parker says a whole new electronic filing and record-keeping system is in the works, and she thinks it will be a great improvement for the county.
Judge Atkins administered the Oath of Office, where Parker, Leamy, along with their staff and deputies and assistant commonwealth’s attorneys, swore to uphold the integrity of their offices; while also swearing they have not ever been part of a duel.
The dueling law is steeped in history in Kentucky, where dueling remains are serious offense to the point that a ‘dueling clause’ is embedded in the state constitution. Officials must swear that they have not fought a duel, accepted or sent a challenge to duel, or acted as a second in a duel either in the Commonwealth or outside of it.
That oath has been in place in Kentucky since 1891, and continues to be sworn during oaths across the state to this day.
