KY legislature halts efforts to remove Supreme Court judge, Fayette school board chair

Attempts in the Kentucky General Assembly to impeach state Supreme Court Justice Pamela Goodwine and remove from office Fayette school board chair Tyler Murphy have ended.

The chairman of the House Impeachment Committee told the Herald-Leader Tuesday night that the work of the committee for the 2026 General Assembly has concluded.

“It means the Impeachment Committee will not meet to consider any additional matters, including any remaining impeachment petitions,” said Rep. Jason Nemes, R-Middletown.

Attorney and former Jefferson County GOP chair Jack Richardson had filed a petition seeking the removal of Goodwine, who became the state’s first Black woman Supreme Court justice when she was elected to the 5th District in 2024. He alleged that Goodwine had a conflict of interest in a case involving the Jefferson County Board of Education, while Goodwine’s attorney called the petition’s allegations baseless.

Rep. Matt Lockett, R-Nicholasville, filed a petition Jan. 30 to have Murphy removed from office. Lockett claimed Murphy failed to provide adequate oversight of FCPS finances in violation of state law.

A separate effort to remove Murphy from the Fayette County school board was undertaken by the House of Representatives through Senate Bill 4. But on Tuesday, the Senate refused to accept the House’s changes to the bill, and it was sent to a conference committee where the two chambers can work out their differences.

While the removal and impeachment efforts against Murphy and Goodwine will not proceed, the House of Representatives did vote last week to impeach Fayette Circuit Judge Julie Goodman, and the Senate now has the chance to consider the five articles of impeachment against her.

Such a trial would be highly unusual, and Senate President Robert Stivers said earlier in the session that legal experts were being consulted on the logistics, because “nobody’s really done it in 100 years.”

This story was originally published March 24, 2026 at 9:59 PM.

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Valarie Honeycutt Spears

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-379-4967

Staff writer Valarie Honeycutt Spears covers K-12 education, social issues and other topics. She is a Lexington native with southeastern Kentucky roots.  Support my work with a digital subscription

Karla Ward

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-379-5361

Karla Ward is a native of Logan County who has worked as a reporter at the Herald-Leader since 2000. She covers breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription