A candidate for Kenton County Family Court judge is looking to have one of her opponents disqualified, alleging she doesn’t meet the residency requirements for the judgeship.
The Kentucky Constitution requires that a family court judge reside in the district they will serve for at least two years before running for office.
Kenton County 6th Division Family Court Judicial candidate Ashley McNeese filed a 21-page lawsuit in Kenton Circuit Court Tuesday, alleging her opponent Maria Ante doesn’t meet the residency requirement.
McNeese said this makes Ante ineligible to run for the position, an eight-year term that starts on Jan. 2, 2023, because she didn’t live in the county until October of 2021. The election takes place on Nov. 8, 2022.
“This has been a very challenging decision, and I have wrestled with the best way to deal with this issue for a few weeks,” McNeese said. “The voters of Kenton County deserve to have an election where all of the candidates on the ballot are all qualified so that the results can stand.”
Ante said the lawsuit is frivolous.
“Frivolous suits like these waste taxpayer dollars and distract our justice system from very important work,” Ante said in a statement.
The lawsuit alleges that Ante wasn’t a resident of Kenton County on Jan. 1, 2021, which allegedly makes her ineligible to run for judge in Kenton County. It claims Ante lived in Boone County until October 2021, when she purchased a home in Villa Hills, which is in Kenton County.
Three attorneys filed to run for the position in addition to Ante and McNeese. They are Tom Rauf, Pete Roush, and Donna Bloemer.
“I am confident in my qualifications to serve as Kenton County Family Court Judge – both residency, and otherwise,” Ante said. “I will fight this and win so I can continue fighting for kids and families as they navigate their own challenges in a positive way.”