Kentucky judge accused of misconduct violations
Published 10:29 pm Sunday, July 10, 2022
The Judicial Conduct Commission has filed a complaint accusing a western Kentucky judge of misconduct violations.
The complaint against 42nd Judicial Circuit Court Judge James T. Jameson, who presides over cases in Marshall and Calloway counties, was released Thursday to the public, news outlets reported.
Three allegations are related to Jameson’s creation of a corrections panel and his involvement with an ankle monitoring program. The commission said Jameson’s creation of the Community Corrections Board “constitutes an improper use of judicial resources” and that he created “the appearance of impropriety” by failing to separate his judicial duties from the board.
A fourth allegation says Jameson pressured attorneys and others to support his 2022 political campaign.
Jameson told WPSD-TV that he disagrees with the commission’s interpretation of his actions, and does not believe he has done anything wrong. A response filed on Jameson’s behalf said the allegations were politically motivated.
“Kentucky’s Constitution provides that all judges are to be elected by the people they serve, not by the JCC, and certainly not based on politically motivated untimely claims reported in an election year,” the response said.
The Judicial Conduct Commission is the only entity authorized to take disciplinary action against a sitting judge under Kentucky’s Constitution.