Attorney Russell Duty announced he is running for Daviess District Court, Division 1 — a nonpartisan seat currently held by Judge Misty Miller, who is not seeking another term.
Duty, 59, has practiced law for 33 years and has lived in Owensboro since 1993. He said the district court role appeals to him because it is often a resident’s first contact with the justice system, handling misdemeanors, probate, small claims, and guardianships.
“It was never a childhood dream for me to be a judge,” Duty said. “I’m getting toward the end of my career, I’ve done a lot in my career, and I’d really like to be able to give back to Owensboro in a different way.”
Duty grew up in Grundy, Va., and graduated from Berea College in 1988 and Washington & Lee University School of Law in 1991. He served as a U.S. Army JAG officer at Fort Knox, where he also acted as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney prosecuting civilian offenses on post.
After moving to Owensboro, he worked as a staff attorney to the chairman of the Kentucky Workers’ Compensation Board, then joined the former Sheffer-Hoffman firm before co-founding Alvey & Duty. He has operated a solo practice since 2004 at 1324 Frederica Street.
He said his wide-ranging background — from criminal defense and bankruptcy to workers’ compensation, probate, and real estate — would help him run an efficient courtroom.
“I try to look for, if there’s a problem, let’s look for a common solution to it and get it resolved,” Duty said.
Duty said his decision-making is rooted in weighing the law and the facts presented by both sides, and in assessing credibility when stories conflict.
“I’ve always considered myself an educator,” Duty said. “I’m always willing to be educated as a lawyer. I would certainly carry that over as a judge.”
He added that district court dockets are heavy and require steady case management.
“You can’t have people sitting there all day,” Duty said. “Let’s get it in here, get everybody moving along as quickly as possible, make sure justice is done and fairness is done to everybody.”
Duty noted he has long experience working alongside public defenders and said he would be attentive to ensuring representation is provided appropriately without overburdening the system.
“We want to make sure everybody has representation, but we also want to make sure they have representation that’s not overburdening the system,” he said.
Duty and his wife, Heather, have five daughters. He currently serves on the Owensboro-Daviess County Board of Ethics.
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