Impeachment of Kentucky judge 'not about politics,' former lawmaker says

Taylor Six, Lexington Herald-Leader on Apr 14, 2026

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — For the first time since filing an impeachment petition against a Fayette Circuit Judge in January, former lawmaker Killian Timoney has spoken out about the proceedings, saying he did so in pursuit of justice.

Timoney — who is seeking election again for a Lexington-area house seat — said in a Facebook post on Tuesday he did not file the petition against Judge Julie Muth Goodman over politics. Instead, Timoney said, it was “because I perceived injustice in a case where the victim was someone I had the privilege of knowing.”

Timoney filed an impeachment petition against Goodman in January, saying that six cases in her courtroom constituted judicial misconduct. The Kentucky House agreed, impeaching Goodman on March 20 by a vote of 73-14.

One of those cases involved a Lexington woman, Tammy Botkin, who was killed in a hit-and-run collision in 2020. Goodman dismissed the murder indictment of the man who killed her. That indictment has since been reinstated.

“In our system of justice, it is not the role of a single judge to substitute her judgment for that of a jury when sufficient evidence exists to move forward,” Timoney posted. “That principle is foundational. When it is ignored, it undermines public confidence and denies victims and their families the fairness they are owed.

“This is why I acted,” he said. “This impeachment effort has never been about politics. It is about accountability. It is about upholding the integrity of our judicial system. And it is about ensuring that what happened in this case and others does not happen again.”

Missing from Timoney’s post was any indication of whether Senate impeachment proceedings against Goodman — scheduled for Thursday — would move forward. As of Tuesday afternoon, it’s unclear if those proceedings will continue after an April 6 Kentucky Supreme Court ruling that the impeachment effort is invalid.

The Supreme Court said, among other things, none of Goodman’s actions were impeachable offenses, the General Assembly was not the appropriate venue for judicial sanctions and the petition lacked a notary’s signature.

The court also ruled that continuing with the impeachment effort would violate the Separation of Powers Doctrine in the Kentucky Constitution.

Timoney did not comment on the Supreme Court’s ruling, but said the impeachment proceedings matter.

“They seek accountability and they send a message to Tammy’s family, and to families across Kentucky, that their voices matter and that justice will not be cast aside without scrutiny,” Timoney said. “They reaffirm a simple but essential truth: the rule of law must be upheld, and those entrusted to carry it out must be held to the highest standard.”

Timoney did not attend or testify at any of Goodman’s impeachment hearings in the House. Goodman sued him, as well as Rep. Jason Nemes, chair of the impeachment committee, and House Speaker David Osborne, in an effort to halt the proceedings. Timoney never responded in court.

A judge will hear Goodman’s request that Timoney be required to pay legal fees Wednesday morning.