Louisville Democrat back on primary ballot after ruling from Kentucky Supreme Court chief

The Kentucky Supreme Court's chief justice ruled Monday incumbent state Rep. Nima Kulkarni, a Louisville Democrat, is eligible to be on the ballot for Tuesday's primary, a reversal of an opinion from a lower court.

Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter wrote the election could continue "as if no election challenge had been filed," according to a court order. VanMeter also said the results of the election should not be certified by the Jefferson County Board of Elections, the Kentucky Board of Elections or the Secretary of State until a court order to do so is issued.

On Wednesday, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled Kulkarni was ineligible to run based on a lawsuit stating she had filed paperwork improperly with the Jefferson County Clerk's Office, The Courier Journal previously reported. The ruling from the Kentucky Court of Appeals reversed a decision made by Circuit Court Judge Mitch Perry in April.

In a statement issued by her office Monday, Kulkarni said she was "glad" the Supreme Court reviewed the case.

"As of today, I remain on the ballot, and ask Democratic voters in District 40 to cast their ballot for me, the only candidate in this race who is seeking the office of State Representative in the best interests of our district," she said. "My opponent in this race has not been interested in campaigning, relying instead on legal tricks to take the choice away from voters."

The lawsuit was filed in mid-March on behalf of former state Rep. Dennis Horlander, who Kulkarni defeated in the 2018 election to take office, but is not currently running for the seat. Kulkarni's opponent in Tuesday's primary is William Zeitz, who previously told The Courier Journal he is from south Louisville and works as a truck driver.

Zeitz is not involved in the lawsuit against Kulkarni.

Steven Megerle, Horlander's attorney, said he was not surprised to see the chief justice's order.

"We're confident we can win this case based on the previous opinions members of the Supreme Court gave when they were on the Court of Appeals," Megerle said.

Megerle added that Zeitz has never met Horlander and the two have never been in contact with each other.

While state law requires candidates running for office to be nominated by two members of the candidate's party, the suit claimed one of the individuals who nominated Kulkarni, Sharon LaRue, was a registered Republican when she signed the paperwork before changing parties weeks later.

Kulkarni has acknowledged LaRue was a GOP member at the time of the signing but said she had changed her registration to join the Democratic Party before the paperwork was certified by the Kentucky Secretary of State's office.

Oral arguments will be heard in the Supreme Court courtroom June 6 at 9 a.m., according to the court order issued Monday.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct Chief Justice VanMeter's name.

More: Statehouse races and leadership changes: What to know about Kentucky's primary election

Reporter Lucas Aulbach contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Rep. Nima Kulkarni ruled eligible to run for state house seat