Former Gov. Matt Bevin’s motion to remove the judge from his ongoing divorce case was denied by the Kentucky Supreme Court in a Thursday order.
Bevin alleged that Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson was biased and using him as a “political pinata” to gain media attention for her reelection, but Chief Justice Debra Lambert wrote in her order that she did not find evidence to back up that claim.
“In her 15-page Order denying recusal, Judge Johnson has articulated reasonable bases in the law and in the facts as established in her court for the challenged rulings,” Lambert wrote. “This is not to say that her rulings were correct, but that she is able to articulate reasonable bases for her rulings that aren’t based on media attention and personal interest.”
Bevin’s divorce case may now proceed with Judge Johnson, who issued an arrest warrant for Bevin in March after she found him in contempt for not meeting the court-imposed deadline to turn over his financial records. Bevin was not arrested and the warrant was recalled three days later by a Court of Appeals ruling, due to it being issued a day after Bevin filed a motion to disqualify her from the case.
The contempt order stemmed from his estranged son Jonah Bevin’s intervention in the former Kentucky governor’s divorce case. Jonah is seeking financial support related to alleged abuse and abandonment when he was a minor, as his parents sent him to a notorious and abusive Jamaican facility when he was 17 years old.
Lambert wrote in her order that she was not convinced by the argument that Johnson was seeking out media attention for political gain, noting that the judge has not decided whether or not she will run for office again in four years, when her term is up.
“Again, if judges must tailor their rulings around whether they will garner media attention, rather than on application of law to the facts, justice will never prevail,” wrote Lambert, who added that the high-profile nature of the Bevin case “is such that any judge could face scrutiny for his or her decisions.”
The attorney for Matt Bevin did not immediately return a request for comment, but Jonah Bevin’s attorney emailed a statement praising the order to keep Johnson on the case.
“This confirms that Jonah is entitled to his day in court, regardless of his parents' whims or wishes,” said attorney John Helmers. “Further, it reaffirms that Matt and Glenna Bevin will not be entitled to special treatment based on privilege or influence.”
Helmers added that they expect Matt Bevin “will need to comply with the Court's orders on disclosure of his financial documents that have not yet been turned over.”
