Two candidates are running in the general election in McCracken County in November to fill the remainder of a term for district judge.
Former Second District Court Judge Chris Hollowell, who served on the bench since 2007, died last year. Governor Andy Beshear appointed prosecutor James Mills to the position in May.
Mills and attorney Jenny Hines, the top two vote-getters in the May primary election, are now competing to fill the remainder of Hollowell’s term.
Both Mills and Hines spoke with WKMS Morning Edition host Daniel Hurt about their candidacies for McCracken County District Judge, their backgrounds, their visions for office and why they feel they are best qualified for the job.
Daniel Hurt (DH): Tell me about yourself and your upbringing.
James Mills (JM): I actually grew up in Crittenden County. When I was a kid, my dad worked in the coal mines in Union County - Peabody Camp No. 1, and my mother was a paralegal for a lawyer named Alan Stout there, who was the County Attorney. And so I was bit by the lawyer bug at a pretty early age, and that seemed to suit my mindset. I went to school at Murray State University, and then after that, I went to law school [at NKU’s Salmon P. Chase School of Law], and I moved to Paducah shortly after graduating, and I've been there ever since. I've been in Paducah practicing as a lawyer for coming up on 20 years pretty quick.
Jenny Hines (JH): So I was born in Western Kentucky, and I grew up in Paducah. I went to school at Farley Elementary and attended Reidland High School, where I graduated valedictorian in 2003. And then, I had the honor of attending Murray State University for college. I was a double major in History and Political Science, although back in my day, they called it something cooler – It was like international governmental and Public Affairs, which is a mouthful – but it's basically political science. e had amazing professors that I've stayed in touch with. And you know, that's one thing I do like about Murray, is it is definitely a family. Both of my parents attended here. My brother attended Murray State, met his wife here. My daughter, Allison, is attending here, finishing up her degree in social work now.
So after I graduated from Murray State, I went to the University of Kentucky for law school, and while I was there, I joined the ROTC program and got my commission in the United States Air Force on the same day I graduated law school. And if anybody knows anything about the military, you can kind of suggest what you'd like to do, and they get to pick. I I would have enjoyed being a JAG officer like my husband Eddie, but instead I got the opportunity to become a Security Forces officer. So I did four years of nuclear security and law enforcement at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, which was one of my top three picks of bases, because it is the home of the B2 bomber, which is one of the coolest aircrafts ever. It's completely silent and stealthy, looks like the Batman wing, and it can deliver nuclear payload anywhere in the world.
DH: Tell me about your professional career and what made you want to run for District Judge?
JM: All I really ever wanted to be was a public defender, and I did dabble in interning at a real estate firm, which was a good experience, but that's not really where my heart was. I wanted to go into public service. I wanted to be a public defender. A lot of people see that as a stepping stone to something else. I stayed there because I really did enjoy the work. I liked going to the jail and the intensity of all that, and I liked being in the courtroom.
And I did that for nine years. I had little kids, and it was time to get a little more settled. So a position came open at the McCracken County Attorney's office, which is misdemeanor prosecutors. And I did that for several years. That was rewarding work too. You know, a lot of people would ask me what it's like on the other side of the courtroom. It's not really that big of a change for a lawyer – if your interest is justice – to work it from both sides or either side, because you see both sides are interested in the same goal.
Dan Boaz, the Commonwealth's attorney in Paducah, had an opening for an assistant felony prosecutor, so I went upstairs [in the McCracken County courthouse], and I've worked the last several years prior to taking the bench as a felony prosecutor.
Then two years ago, I ran for [the district judge office] in 2022 and I got very, very close to actually winning, I got 46% of the vote, and I ran against an incumbent judge who had been the judge for 16 years, and unfortunately, he passed away recently. I ran for the office because I deeply felt it was time for somebody else to be the judge, so I threw my hat in the ring. I didn't know anything about politics, didn't know anything about how to run a race, and didn't really know what that was going to take. And I learned through trial and error and working hard, I kind of learned the ropes of politics. And then unfortunately, Judge Hollowell passed away. The opening to fill the interim judge [role] was a long process, and several people applied, and there was a vetting process where you were interviewed by a committee to make that decision. The governor made an appointment, chose me out of the three and advanced through the primary.
JH: So after I came home from the Air Force, I joined a private practice firm of Boehl, Stopher, and Graves. I did work at every level of court, from District Court all the way up to the [state] Supreme Court and also federal court. And [I] got to practice all over the state and see good courtrooms and less good courtrooms. And you know, you tend to think, well, if I was Judge, I'd do this or that. Well, this is a good opportunity for that.
But after I practiced in law for about five years, I joined the Court of Appeals staff and worked for Judge, now Justice Shea Nickell and now retired Judge Donna Dixon. Seeing how the court system works from the inside just set a passion in me, because you can help so many people. And especially the Court of Appeals level, you see that it's important to get the right results for the right reasons, and I'd like to have the opportunity to do that and get things right the first time.
DH: Tell me about what the District Judge does. What do they deal with and if you go before a district judge, what can you expect?
JM: The way I like to put it is that that's where everyday people go to court. There's a wide breadth of what district court judges deal with. One of the most familiar things that people have are traffic tickets. If it's not prepayable, they come to court. And in Kentucky, even on a speeding ticket, you have a right to a jury trial. Most people don't know that, and most people don't want to go through it, but you do. In a situation like traffic court, your priority is to not waste people's time, to run an orderly court. Have people come before you and treat them respectfully, make sure that they understand what's going on. The other things that district court judges deal with are misdemeanor offenses, so particularly thefts under $1,000 are pretty regular, simple assaults, where people aren't injured that badly, DUIs… the guardianship and mental health issues.
JH: Going to the courthouse is a lot like going to the hospital. It's something that you want to avoid having to do, but you know you have to have annual checkups or things that can't be avoided. District Court handles traffic court violations, so if you get pulled over for a speeding ticket, you would end up in front of District Court. Misdemeanors, probate: so someone that you care about dies, you're gonna have to handle their estate, more than likely, or someone that you know will, and it's a difficult process to navigate, and it's compounded by the fact that you've just lost somebody. Trying to navigate through probate laws can be challenging, but having a judge who can help you navigate through that process in a way that's kind and gentle is something that I would like to do.
DH: What are your priorities if elected as Judge? And what do you think sets you apart from your opponent?
JM: The first priority is stability, to make sure that court’s running smoothly and to stabilize things and make things run as they should. That takes a steady hand in somebody who knows what they're doing.
The second priority is to try to maximize efficiency. There's small tweaks that you can make without completely overhauling a system that makes it run better for everyone. And, you know, doing small things. I found, for example, when I first took the bench, we had probate court Monday mornings at 8:30 [a.m.] and then our evictions started at 9 [a.m.]. And what I noticed fairly quickly is that the lawyers and the people that were there for evictions were waiting around for probate court to start. Just the small tweak of starting the eviction docket at 9:30 [a.m.] kept a lot of people from just waiting around, and that saves the attorney's clients’ time, saves them money, and it helps things move a little bit more quickly.
So small changes like that are important. Then you know, there are some bigger issues that are close to my heart. Mental health court was a priority of mine. I wanted to institute a mental health court in McCracken County, where people that are having mental crises get charged with crimes. Typically, you're talking about disorderly conduct, menacing, alcohol intoxication, things like that, where it's not just a revolving door for the jail, where they actually go see a judge, put together a treatment plan, get hooked up with people that can help them.
I'm proven in the courtroom and trusted on the bench. And I think that when you're choosing a district judge, your experience is the most important thing. District Court's a trial court, and I've [litigated] over 100 jury trials. My opponent's never had a jury trial. And this skill set that you develop through actually interacting in a courtroom is exactly what a judge needs to learn: how to be fair, how to apply the rules and the laws that you have to apply as a judge. If you don't have that kind of experience, you're coming in without any idea of how this is actually supposed to work. I think that having been a defense attorney for almost an equal number of years as I was a prosecutor gives me a unique perspective on bringing balance to what's supposed to be a balanced and fair situation.
JH: I don't want to treat this as a 9 to 5 job or an 8:30 [a.m.] to 4:30 [p.m.] job. I'd like to add value. I've served my country. I've served our Commonwealth, and I'd like to serve our community by adding programs and adding value. I know back in the day, they used to have a Teen Court program, which I participated in. And even though things have changed, there's still ways to add something that will help out our youth and get them involved and see the courthouse not as a place to be 100% avoided. Avoided for doing wrong things, but that it's an integral part of our society and how to be a good citizen.
I think just being able to relate to people, and not looking at cases as a bunch of numbers, but being able to take the time and listen to people and realize that you have to take each set of facts as you find them, and apply the law and apply it correctly and fairly.
Tuesday, November 5th is Election Day. Polls are open in Kentucky from 6:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. For more information on registration status and polling locations, visit the Kentucky Secretary of State’s voter information portal or govote.ky.gov.
For more information on elections in your area, check out the WKMS Voter Guide.
