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Christopher Mehling, Kenton Family Circuit Judge since 2006, plans to retire in December 2022


Christopher J. Mehling, a Family Circuit Judge in Division 2 of the Kenton Circuit Court, will be retiring at the end of his term December 31, 2022, after having served for 16 years.

He is giving plenty of notice, he said in a letter, so that all attorneys who practice family law and live in Kenton County can give thought to whether they are interested in serving.

Judge Mehling

He first ran for the judgeship is 2006 and ran for re-election in 2014.

Mehling, 70, said he and his wife, Pat, are “ready to go onto the next phase our our lives.” He and his wife have six grandchildren, who all live close by, and intend to spend more time with them. He said he also wants to spend more time with his Gloria Dei Lutheran Church family, to restart his community volunteer efforts, and to travel more.

“My enthusiasm for the work is as great as my first as a a judge,” Mehling said.

The years of Mehling’s service have been a “roller coaster,” he said. They started with a personal health crisis, followed by the country’s economic crisis and multiple waives of substance abuse crises — opioids, heroin, fentanyl, meth — to the COVID pandemic.

“I want to thank all the social workers, law enforcement officers, bailifs, school district personnel, CASA volunteers, treatment providers, deputy clerks and others — and my staff,” he said.

Mehling received his undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University in 1975 and his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law in 1978. He was an attorney and partner in the firm of Taliaferro, Mehling, Shirooni, Carran & Keys, PLLC in Covington and also served as the city attorney for Ludlow and assistant city attorney for Elsmere.

He received the President’s Award from Redwood Rehabilitation Center and the Ralph Haile Outstanding Achievement Award from the Covington Business Council.

He plans to make himself available to the Chief Justice to do senior judge work as needed but will not be returning to private law practice.


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2 Comments

  1. Sandy Hamilton says:

    I’m glad you are retiring. It’s too bad you worked in a closed courtroom. The citizens couldn’t see for themselves how rude and disrespectful you were to the citizens appearing before you in Family court.

  2. Donna Layne says:

    Thank you, Judge Mehling, for your years of service. I have always found you to be fair and compassionate, truly interested in the best interest of the children whose cases were being presented in court. You have my deepest respect. Best wishes for the remainder of your term and a very fulfilling retirement.

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