Julie Hawes Gordon has withdrawn from the race for Daviess County’s second Family Court position. Gordon was removed from her seat as a Family Court judge earlier this year by the Judicial Conduct Commission, and the Kentucky Supreme Court recently affirmed the JCC ruling after Gordon appealed the decision. Though it’s too late for her name to be removed from the ballot, no votes cast for Gordon will be counted.
The race for Circuit Judge Family Court 6th District 4th Division, which is the newly created second Family Court seat, will now be between Angela Thompson and Andrew Johnson.
According to the KY Secretary of State’s website, Gordon withdrew from the race on Tuesday.
Michon Lindstrom, communications director for Secretary of State Michael Adams’ office, confirmed Wednesday morning that Gordon had withdrawn.
Lindstrom said the county clerk’s office will now post signs at the polling locations saying Gordon withdrew from the race and no votes will count for her. Any vote she received from the mail-in absentee ballots will also not be counted.
Gordon has not responded to a request for comment.
The withdrawal comes less than two weeks after the Kentucky Supreme Court affirmed the Judicial Conduct Commission’s ruling to remove Gordon from office. The JCC ruling was issued in April, and Gordon filed an appeal to the Supreme Court in May. In their October 20 decision, the Supreme Court addressed each of Gordon’s arguments thoroughly. The opinion repeatedly states there is “clear and convincing evidence” to support much of the JCC’s findings.
Gordon’s removal from office stemmed from charges filed in November 2021. Charges ranged from Gordon exerting influence to obstruct justice and affect the outcome of her son’s criminal proceedings, to abusing power, to not being impartial, and mismanaging her courtroom.
In December, Gordon agreed to a temporary suspension from her duties until a final decision was reached regarding the six charges.
The JCC held a 3-day hearing in early April. Later that month, the JCC ruled that Gordon be removed from office “based on the totality of the circumstances and evidence presented at the Hearing and the broad range of repeated and systemic misconduct by (Gordon) over a substantial period of time.”
The Commission wrote that “Based upon clear and convincing evidence presented at the Hearing, individually, the misconduct claims against Judge Gordon are of significant concern and present numerous, serious transgressions, and a pattern of improper conduct and violations of the Rules of the Kentucky Code of Judicial Conduct.”
Per the document detailing the Commission’s ruling, “In sum, the misconduct alleged against Judge Gordon involved her repeatedly acting well outside the constitutional role of judge, creating conflicts and bias by acting as counsel, advisor, and advocate for her son in his criminal cases and then lobbying and pushing both the prosecutor and judge presiding over those cases to take actions as she directed. Judge Gordon failed to disclose the conflicts she created and failed to recuse from matters wherein she clearly had a conflict because of her efforts. She bullied and threatened Cabinet workers when they did not acquiesce to her manner of conducting JDNA matters or when they expressed objections to her actions and rulings, and she then retaliated against them when the Cabinet and its workers defended and pushed back through normal motion practice in her court. And, she was not forthcoming and honest with the Commission. Judge Gordon admitted much of her misconduct through her multiple written letters and formal Response to the Commission. Much more of her misconduct was established through the Hearing.”
More details from the ruling to remove Gordon can be found here.
