Courts: "Guidugli won't run again for bench "

Judge Daniel Guidugli is withdrawing from court of appeals race and retiring.

Here is another story (Kentucky Post) on the high cost of elections nudging out incumbents from running for re-election.  This follows on our earlier story about Justice Graves thowing in his robes due to the costs of a re-election campaign. 

Now, we have a Court of Appeals Judge calling it quits.  So it goes, when money talks to run the campaign, some candidates balk and walk.   

Again, the conflicts in courts and the ensuing risk of a lack of confidence in our judicial system with campaign rhetoric, finances, recusals, withdrawals, retirements, etc, it is time for us revisit the issue of judicial selections, elections, or appointments. 

We will update this with an interesting letter to the editor that was in the paper version of the Courier-Journal today but not the on-line version. 

Thanks to attorney Derek Humfleet for emailing us this story.

Guidugli won't run again for bench
By Kevin Eigelbach
Post staff reporter

When Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge Daniel T. Guidugli first ran for the court 10 years ago, he spent $25,000 on his election campaign.

He's been told he could easily spend almost 10 times that much to win re-election in November. That's one of the reasons, along with his health, that he cited Wednesday in announcing his plans to retire in December.

"I'm told you have to have all these hired consultants and put on all these ads on TV and radio," he said Wednesday. "I'm not wealthy, No. 1, and No. 2, I don't like having to go out and beg for money."

His withdrawal means that Fort Thomas attorney Owen Kennedy and Covington attorney Michelle Keller will square off in November for the post. Had there been three candidates, a May primary would have been necessary.

All three names will still appear on the May ballot, but the votes won't be counted, Guidugli said.  [click here for remainder of story]