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Sitting circuit judge in W. Kentucky ordered removed from office by Judicial Conduct Commission


By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today

A sitting circuit judge in Western Kentucky has been ordered removed from office by the Judicial Conduct Commission.

Judge James T. Jameson had been in office since 2016, as a judge of the 42nd Circuit, which includes Marshall and Calloway counties.

In their 40-page order, the Commission said it started receiving complaints about him in 2021 and 2022, and formal proceedings and charges against Jameson in June with four counts, which eventually expanded to seven.

He had been temporarily suspended from his duties in August by the Commission, but the suspension was later lifted by the Kentucky Supreme Court and he was allowed to resume his duties.

James Jamison

The charges addressed during a final hearing in October included:

Count I: You acted as the alter ego for the 42nd Judicial Circuit Community Corrections Board (CCB) in the creation and development of an ankle monitoring program, failing to separate yourself as Circuit Judge from your duties at CCB, creating the appearance of impropriety to the public.

Count II: You acted as the alter ego for the 42nd Judicial Circuit Community Corrections Board (CCB) in the implementation and operation of CCB’s ankle monitoring program.

Count III: You mismanaged your courtroom, engaged in acts of retaliation, and deviated from acceptable standards of judicial conduct.

Count IV: You used your influence and the prestige of the judicial office to pressure persons to donate or support your political campaign.

Count V: You have repeatedly attempted to obstruct justice and impede the Commission’s authority to investigate the charges against you.

Count VI: You engaged in a pattern of noncompliance and interference with the Commission’s orders.

Count VII: You have engaged in acts of intimidation.

After all the hearings and testimony, the Judicial Conduct Commission issued this order:

“It is the Commission’s conclusion and ruling that Judge Jameson is unfit for the office he currently holds and is equally unfit to serve in the same office for which he seeks a subsequent term by re-election. Therefore, the Commission hereby ORDERS that Judge Jameson be, and hereby is, REMOVED from judicial office for this term, and that this same unfitness disqualifies Judge Jameson from holding the same judicial office for the immediately succeeding term.

“The Commission believes it has a good faith basis under Gordon v. Judicial Conduct Comm’n to find and conclude that Judge Jameson should be permanently removed from judicial office because the totality of the clear and convincing evidence presented at the Temporary Suspension Hearing and Final Hearing established that he is unfit for judicial office.”

The Commission’s order, approved on a 5-0 vote, will take effect in 10 days unless Jameson files an appeal.


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One Comment

  1. Pamela R BLOEM says:

    It’s about time people take a stand against the corruption that is going on around here!

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