KY Lawmakers Drop Impeachment Effort Against Supreme Court Justice

As Kentucky’s legislative session draws to a close, lawmakers are moving forward with one high-profile judicial impeachment—while quietly shelving another.

The effort to remove Pamela Goodwine from the state’s highest court has effectively come to an end, according to House leaders. Meanwhile, a separate case targeting a lower court judge is advancing to a full Senate trial.

Rep. Jason Nemes, who chairs the House Impeachment Committee, confirmed that the inquiry into Goodwine will not proceed further. “The work has been done,” Nemes said, signaling that the legislature does not intend to revisit the matter before adjournment.

The contrast is striking. While the committee declined to advance the case against Goodwine—opting not to call witnesses, hold formal hearings, or bring the matter to the House floor—it did move forward decisively in the case of Julie Muth Goodman.

Lawmakers voted to impeach Goodman and send the case to the Kentucky Senate, where a trial is expected next month to determine whether she should be removed from the bench.

The abandoned impeachment push against Goodwine stemmed from a petition filed by attorney Jack Richardson IV, who alleged the justice failed to recuse herself in a case involving a potential conflict of interest. However, her legal team forcefully rejected the claims, arguing that recusal was not required and suggesting the complaint was politically motivated.

Goodwine, elected to the Kentucky Supreme Court in 2024 with support from major teachers’ unions, has already played a pivotal role on the bench. She cast the deciding vote in a narrow 4-3 ruling that struck down a Republican-backed 2022 law aimed at shifting authority within Jefferson County Public Schools.

That ruling—and the broader ideological divide it represents—has fueled conservative frustration, particularly as similar legislation is once again under consideration in Frankfort.

Beyond these two cases, several additional impeachment efforts failed to gain traction during the session. Petitions targeting local officials, including school board leadership and judicial figures in other counties, were either dropped or never advanced.

For now, Goodman’s case stands alone as the only active impeachment proceeding in Kentucky. The upcoming Senate trial will determine her fate—and could set the tone for how aggressively lawmakers pursue judicial accountability moving forward.

As the session wraps up, the split outcome underscores a broader reality: while Republicans have shown a willingness to act in certain cases, not every impeachment effort gains the momentum needed to reach the finish line.