Misty Miller has been appointed to the vacant District Court judgeship left behind by Judge Lisa Jones after being sworn in as Circuit Court judge.
Miller was appointed by Gov. Andy Beshear, beating out two other nominees for the position — James Nicholas Payne and Jason James Pfeil, both of Owensboro. Miller said she received a call with the news from Beshear’s office on Tuesday.
Being named District Court judge is a huge win for Miller, who told Owensboro Times she was “way excited” about her new position.
“I can’t speak for the governor, but, surely, my 15 years of experience had to count for something,” she said.
Miller also said she believes receiving 46 percent of the vote in the November 2018 election, when she ran against incumbent Nick Burlew for the District Court seat, showed Beshear what she was capable of.
Because of her current position in working as an assistant county attorney, Miller said there will be a slight delay in her taking the bench.
“I work in a couple of different divisions and wanted to give [County Attorney] Claud Porter some time,” she said. “I didn’t want to drop a bomb on him, and there were some things I wanted to finish up.”
Both Miller and Payne have filed to run for the District Court judgeship in the November 2020 election, and Miller believes this interim period as District Court judge will introduce her to a whole new skill set that’ll help prepare her for the upcoming election.
But for now, the order has been signed and has been shipped to the AOC (Administrative Office of the Courts), and Miller plans to take the bench at the end of March.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting this. I had absolutely no expectation of being appointed,” she said. “I’m just amazed. It’s something you’re ready for, but then when it happens — it’ll be a little scary, I’m sure, but it’ll be the good kind.”
