Vote Stan Whetzel for Court of Appeals
Primary Election - May 17, 2022
General Election - November 8, 2022
I am a candidate for the office of Judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, Fourth Appellate District, Second Division, and respectfully ask you for your votes. I am pleased to announce that my wife, Sally Hunter, is the Chair of my Campaign Committee; my friend, John K. Gordinier, will serve as its Treasurer. My name will be on the ballot for the Primary Election. It is presently set for May 17, 2022.
You can express your support for my campaign in a variety of ways. First, please vote on May 17th! And please encourage others to do so. If you are interested in placing my campaign yard sign on your property, inviting me to meetings and social gatherings, and providing financial support, my campaign would love to hear from you. Please reach out to Sally and John via email, or through the Contact page on this website.
I would be glad to respond to your questions about my interest in the Court of Appeals and my suitability for the office. Please go to the Contact page on this website and leave your contact information and any questions or concerns. If you are interested in supporting my campaign, Sally and John can be reached by email at votestanforjudge@gmail.com or by regular mail at my campaign headquarters, 2304 Bonnycastle Avenue, Louisville, KY 40205. Thank you for your consideration and your support.
Very truly yours,
Stan Whetzel
After practicing civil litigation and appellate law in Louisville for more than thirty years, I have again acted on my wish to serve the citizens of Kentucky as a Judge of the Court of Appeals. On November 4, 2021, I became a candidate for the office of Judge of the Court of Appeals, Fourth Appellate District, Second Division. I’ve observed the workings of appellate courts over a long period and believe it to be a position for which I am particularly suited by personal temperament, practical experience, and legal ability. I hope you will vote for me, and that you will encourage others to do the same. The Primary Election will be held on May 17, 2022. The General Election will be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.
I am a career private lawyer. My legal career has been diverse, not devoted to a single client or industry. I represent both plaintiffs and defendants. I have represented individuals, estates, small businesses, large businesses, federally-chartered banking corporations, and government agencies. My career path thus has differed in important ways from those of many currently on the bench. I would bring to it different and beneficial perspectives, views, and talents developed over decades of legal practice. I am peer review rated “AV” for legal ability (“preeminent”) and ethics (‘very high”) by Martindale-Hubbell.
I consider myself to be in the tradition of lawyers who had substantial careers as advocates before ever seeking the bench. It seems there are fewer and fewer of them on the bench these days. I do not have, and cannot bring to the bench, a career government lawyer’s or career judge’s perspective. And although I am a candidate for election, I am not a politician. Nor am I a government employee.
My practice has focused on civil litigation and appeals. Most recently, I have been engaged in business litigation, eminent domain litigation, and estate litigation. I also handle federal False Claims Act “qui tam” litigation. My interest in the Court of Appeals goes back to my early years in a small firm with a heavy-duty civil trial practice. I worked for and learned from the late Edward M. Post. In my opinion, Ed always was the best-prepared lawyer in the room. He drafted his own pleadings, took depositions, wrote briefs, tried cases, and argued in the trial and appellate courts, all with equal intensity.
Among other things, I helped Ed write briefs for the Kentucky Court of Appeals, the Kentucky Supreme Court, and the United States Supreme Court. It was an invaluable experience and training for me. When the opportunity arose for me to handle business and banking litigation in the state and federal courts of Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee, including their respective appellate courts, I was ready.
The Court of Appeals is important to all of us. The purpose of the Court of Appeals is to correct prejudicial legal errors in trial court rulings. Under our state’s constitution, every losing party is entitled to one appeal. For most parties, the Court of Appeals will be the court of last resort, their last chance to obtain the justice they seek. For that reason, I consider the Court of Appeals to be the most consequential court in Kentucky. The Court’s 14 Judges, two from each of the 7 judicial districts, hear and decide appeals from the rulings of Kentucky’s 120 county trial courts. Its Judges also decide motions in cases that already are on appeal. Another important area of the Court’s work is deciding “original actions” filed in the appellate court. In an original action, litigants file lawsuits in the appellate courts, directly challenging lower court actions before appeal. In turn, the Court of Appeals’ rulings are reviewable by the Supreme Court.
I am ready to serve you as a Judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals. If I am elected Judge, I will give my best efforts to the cases that come before me. I mean by this that I will hear and decide cases with an open mind, without regard to the parties’ names, ages, races, genders, sexual orientation or social status. I will apply the law as I understand it to fit the case, and endeavor always to give a correct judgment.
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2304 Bonnycastle Avenue
Louisville, KY 40205
Office - 502-657-7150
Fax - 502-589-7333
Mobile - 502-741-8098
Copyright © 2022
Paid for by the Committee to Elect Stan Whetzel to the Court of Appeals, John K. Gordinier, Treasurer