http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com Covering Kentucky politics and government Tue, 22 May 2012 21:44:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/05/17/minton-elected-to-2nd-term-as-chief-justice/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/05/17/minton-elected-to-2nd-term-as-chief-justice/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 17:14:36 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21725 FRANKFORT -- Justices of the Kentucky Supreme Court have unanimously voted to elect Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr. of Bowling Green to a second term. The four-year term begins June 27. Minton was sworn in as Kentucky’s fifth chief justice on June 27, 2008, after being elected to the Supreme Court in 2006. ]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/05/17/minton-elected-to-2nd-term-as-chief-justice/feed/ 2 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/29/senator-seeks-to-quietly-boost-court-clerks-pay/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/29/senator-seeks-to-quietly-boost-court-clerks-pay/#comments Thu, 29 Mar 2012 18:46:36 +0000 John Cheves http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21342 By John Cheves jcheves@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT -- The Kentucky Senate has approved a mandatory pay raise for circuit court clerks, at a possible cost to taxpayers of $2 million to $3 million a year, after a Senate Republican leader quietly added the proposal to an unrelated House bill. Under the proposed state budget agreed to early Thursday, state workers will not get a pay raise next year, and state retirees will not get a cost-of-living adjustment in their pensions. However, Senate Majority Whip Carroll Gibson of Leitchfield -- who is a retired circuit court clerk -- on Tuesday successfully amended House Bill 234 on the Senate floor to include language raising the 120 circuit court clerks' base salaries by 2 percent to 15 percent, depending on their individual circumstances. Gibson spent less than a minute explaining his changes on the Senate floor. He told his fellow senators that his amendments were aimed at "pretty much leveling the playing field" for court clerks, as compared to other elected county officials. None of the senators asked questions.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/29/senator-seeks-to-quietly-boost-court-clerks-pay/feed/ 1 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/14/public-financing-of-judicial-elections-passes-house-panel/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/14/public-financing-of-judicial-elections-passes-house-panel/#comments Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:57:35 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=21167 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/03/14/public-financing-of-judicial-elections-passes-house-panel/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/24/bill-to-open-some-family-courts-tax-online-horse-wagers-passes-house/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/24/bill-to-open-some-family-courts-tax-online-horse-wagers-passes-house/#comments Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:31:33 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=20703 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/24/bill-to-open-some-family-courts-tax-online-horse-wagers-passes-house/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/24/supreme-court-hears-arguments-in-legislative-redistricting-case/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/24/supreme-court-hears-arguments-in-legislative-redistricting-case/#comments Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:41:39 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=20689 UPDATED AT 3 P.M. By Jack Brammer jbrammer@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Supreme Court has blocked implementation of the newly drawn boundaries for state legislative districts, a move that will keep Democratic Sen. Kathy Stein’s district in Lexington. In a two-page order issued a few hours after hearing oral arguments in the case Friday morning, the state’s highest court upheld Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd’s ruling that this year’s redistricting was unconstitutional. “Until the General Assembly passes redistricting legislation that complies with Section 33 of the Kentucky Constitution, the terms of the injunction entered by the Franklin Circuit Court remain in place,” the court said. That means, the court said, that district boundaries enacted in 2002 remain in place, and the filing deadline for candidates to run from those districts was Feb. 10. The court also said that because the case was expedited, a full opinion will come later. It did not provide guidance Friday about when the General Assembly should attempt to approve new redistricting legislation that is constitutional.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/24/supreme-court-hears-arguments-in-legislative-redistricting-case/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/22/bill-to-open-family-courts-passes-key-hurdle/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/22/bill-to-open-family-courts-passes-key-hurdle/#comments Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:07:38 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=20666 By Beth Musgrave bmusgrave@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT — A bill that would allow a pilot project to open family courts unanimously passed a House panel Wednesday and will likely pass the full House in coming days. House Bill 239 would create at least one pilot project in seven Supreme Court districts to open family court proceedings, including abuse, neglect and dependency hearings. The pilot project would last four years and would allow the courts to determine what information in those court proceedings could be released. A similar bill passed the House in 2010 but never made it through the Republican-controlled Senate. Rep. Susan Westrom, D-Lexington, the primary sponsor of HB 239, told the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday that opening the courts would add another level of accountability to the child protection system. That system has been under fire over the past 18 months after a Franklin Circuit Court judge ordered the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to release internal child protection records when a child dies or nearly dies as a result of abuse and neglect. ]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/22/bill-to-open-family-courts-passes-key-hurdle/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/17/supreme-court-sets-oral-arguments-in-legislative-redistricting-case/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/17/supreme-court-sets-oral-arguments-in-legislative-redistricting-case/#comments Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:55:49 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=20612 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/17/supreme-court-sets-oral-arguments-in-legislative-redistricting-case/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/14/supreme-court-puts-redistricting-case-on-fast-track/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/14/supreme-court-puts-redistricting-case-on-fast-track/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:48:42 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=20551 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/14/supreme-court-puts-redistricting-case-on-fast-track/feed/ 1 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/06/child-death-records-legal-fight-continues/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/06/child-death-records-legal-fight-continues/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:25:47 +0000 Beth Musgrave http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=20374 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/02/06/child-death-records-legal-fight-continues/feed/ 0 http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/01/31/judge-issues-restraining-order-in-filing-deadline-case/ http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/01/31/judge-issues-restraining-order-in-filing-deadline-case/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:45:30 +0000 Jack Brammer http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/?p=20327 By Jack Brammer jbrammer@herald-leader.com FRANKFORT — A judge issued an order Tuesday that extended the filing deadline for state legislative candidates by at least a week as he considers a legal challenge of Kentucky’s new legislative district boundaries. Franklin Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd, in a four-page order, said the filing deadline for state House and Senate candidates won’t come before 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 7. It was scheduled for 4 p.m. Jan. 31. Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes said her office will continue to accept nomination papers from candidates for state senator and representative until the new deadline. Despite the extension, several candidates filed Tuesday for Kentucky’s General Assembly, while two longtime state lawmakers — Sen. Walter Blevins, D-Morehead, and Rep. Lonnie Napier, R-Lancaster — said they have decided not to seek re-election. Their terms will end at the end of this year.]]> http://bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com/2012/01/31/judge-issues-restraining-order-in-filing-deadline-case/feed/ 1