Over the course of the last month, many of us have enjoyed watching college and professional football again. In such sport, a player can get ejected for committing a flagrant foul.
Joe Fischer, candidate for the Kentucky Supreme Court, is committing a flagrant foul by running a clearly partisan race in blatant violation of the Kentucky Constitution.
Fischer needs to be ejected for his illegal campaign tactics.
For over 130 years, the Kentucky Constitution has required that all judicial races in Kentucky be nonpartisan. As a lawyer, Fischer is well aware of this requirement; yet he ignores it. In fact, Fischer sought an opinion regarding the dos and don’ts of judicial campaigning from the Kentucky Judicial Ethics Commission earlier this year; and the Commission rendered a detailed opinion advising Fischer, in no uncertain terms, that he cannot tout his Republican ties.
Nonetheless, Fischer campaigns as a “Conservative Republican,” boasts his support from various Republican organizations within the Sixth Supreme Court District, and emphasizes his pro-life stance.
I have been practicing law for nearly 40 years; so, I can tell you that, not only are Fischer’s tactics illegal, but they are also willfully wrong.
In other words, he knows that his tactics are wrong, but he employs them anyway.
For me, it is unthinkable that a man, who wants to sit on the highest court in our great Commonwealth and who will have to swear to uphold the Kentucky Constitution, is thumbing his nose at our Constitution.
I am proud to be a pro-life Republican. I am not proud, however, that a fellow Republican is intentionally violating the law in an effort to steal votes.
Justice Michelle Keller is eminently qualified to be re-elected to the Kentucky Supreme Court, having served as an appellate judge for 16 years and having served on the Kentucky Supreme Court for the last 9½ years.
Not only does Joe Fischer lack the qualifications to serve on the Kentucky Supreme Court, but he should also be disqualified for his under-handed campaign tactics.
College and professional sports do not tolerate cheating; and the good folks of the Sixth Supreme Court District (Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Henry, Kenton, Oldham, Owen, Pendleton, Shelby and Trimble Counties) should not tolerate Joe Fischer’s cheating ways.
He is committing a flagrant foul with his illegal campaign tactics. Rather than be elected, Joe Fischer needs to be ejected from the game.
Bill Geisen is an attorney who lives in Kenton County.
Fischer also authored the 2021 law creating Amendment #2 which is on the Nov. 8th ballot. This Amendment, which prohibits a woman’s right to and need for an abortion, supersedes any right guaranteed her in the KY Constitution. Amendment #2 deserves a NO vote, Fischer’s record as a legislator on a number of civil rights/civil liberties issues reflects his inabiliity to judge fairly on cases coming to the Supreme Court.