A RESOLUTION declaring that the Kentucky Supreme Court's opinion and order of April 6, 2026, is unconstitutional.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by John Blanton

The bill asserts the General Assembly alone holds impeachment power, nullifies the Supreme Court’s April 6 ruling, and maintains HR 124 Articles against Judge Goodman.

adopted by voice vote

#constitution #ky. #court #supreme #fees #generalassembly #judgesandcourtcommissioners

Purpose and overall aim

HR 140 is a Kentucky House of Representatives resolution declaring that the Kentucky Supreme Court’s opinion and order issued on April 6, 2026, are unconstitutional.

The bill asserts that impeachment powers are vested exclusively in the General Assembly (the House has impeachment powers, Senate conducts trials) and that the Supreme Court cannot limit or enjoin that constitutional power. It frames the April 6, 2026 opinion as an attempted encroachment on the General Assembly’s impeachment authority.

Key provisions and changes

Section 1: Reaffirms that the impeachment powers of the General Assembly remain inviolate and cannot be limited or violated by the Kentucky Supreme Court or others.

Section 2: Declares the Supreme Court’s April 6, 2026 opinion unconstitutional, null, and void.

Section 3: States that House Resolution 124 and its five Articles of Impeachment against Judge Julie Muth Goodman remain properly adopted and valid.

Sections 4–8: Each section ties a specific Article of Impeachment (from H.R. 124) to a separate basis for impeachment in law and declares that the corresponding actions by a judge (misuse of office, defying binding precedents, defying statutes and court rules, interfering with judicial processes, etc.) constitute a misdemeanor in office warranting impeachment and removal, aligned with the five Articles of Impeachment.

Section 9: Reiterates rejection of the Supreme Court’s April 6, 2026 opinion and order as precedent for impeachment proceedings.

Section 10: Asserts the House has sole authority to tax costs, attorney’s fees, or other expenses related to impeachments, and forbids any costs related to impeachment proceedings or petitions from being taxed during the 2026 Regular Session. It declares any contrary action void.

Who/what is affected

The Kentucky General Assembly (House of Representatives and its impeachment powers) is the central actor.

The Kentucky Supreme Court is challenged as to its authority to influence impeachment proceedings.

Judge Julie Muth Goodman (Circuit Judge for the 22nd Judicial Circuit, Fayette County) is the subject of the referenced impeachment proceedings (H.R. 124), with the resolution reiterating the validity of those Articles of Impeachment.

Costs and expenses related to impeachment proceedings are targeted, with the resolution asserting control of fiscal aspects by the House.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Action history indicates: introduced in the House on April 15, 2026; referred to the Committee on Committees (H), then moved to the House Floor, where it was adopted by voice vote on the same day.

The resolution operates as a formal assertion by the House about constitutional powers and the validity of previously adopted impeachment Articles, and it rejects a contemporaneous Supreme Court ruling as being outside its authority.

Potential impact

Legally, the bill frames the impeachment process as wholly under legislative control and rejects any judicial attempt to constrain or supervise impeachment actions.

Politically, it positions the House as asserting supremacy over the Supreme Court regarding impeachment power, potentially influencing how future impeachment actions and court opinions are interpreted.

Fiscal impact: codifies that the House exclusively handles impeachment-related costs and forbids other bodies from imposing such costs during the 2026 session.