This Louisville councilwoman has been named a Jefferson County Circuit judge

Ayana Archie, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read
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Louisville Metro Councilwoman Jessica Green has been appointed as a Jefferson County Circuit Court judge as of Wednesday by Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear.

Green will be the Division 9 judge and fill the vacancy left by Judith McDonald-Burkman who retired earlier this month.

Green was one of "three names submitted by the appropriate Judicial Nominating Commission," Beshear said in an executive order.

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Green announced in October she intended to resign from her post as councilwoman and run for judge. She had been seeking to replace Judge Olu Stevens following his decision to retire.

Green will serve in Division 9 until the end of the term in early January, then move to Division 6, in which she originally filed and faced no opposition. The winner of the contested race in Division 9 would then take over that division, according to Katie Shepherd, chief of staff to Chief Justice John Minton.

At the time she noted that no Black women were serving as circuit judges, and Stevens was one of two Black men on the bench.

"A part of building trust is knowing there are people who look like you, live where you live, and speak the same language you do, who can understand your background," she said. "We owe it to the citizens of Jefferson County for leadership and the ones in authority or power to reflect our citizens."

Metro Council member Jessica Green spoke to the crowd during a press conference to announce the expansion of U of L Health - Urgent Care Plus in west Louisville's Parkland neighborhood. March 23, 2020
Metro Council member Jessica Green spoke to the crowd during a press conference to announce the expansion of U of L Health - Urgent Care Plus in west Louisville's Parkland neighborhood. March 23, 2020

She was elected as a councilwoman in 2015. Her district includes Chickasaw, Russell, California, Park DuValle and Parkland.

The Metro Council has 30 days from the announcement of her seat's vacancy to appoint someone to replace her. If the council doesn't act in that time, then the mayor can appoint someone.

This story will be updated.

Contact Ayana Archie at aarchie@courier-journal.com or follow on Twitter @AyanaArchie. Support strong local journalism by subscribing to The Courier Journal.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville Councilwoman Jessica Green appointed as circuit judge