3 nominated to fill vacant Kenton County family court spot

KENTON COUNTY, Ky. (WTVQ) – Three lawyers have been nominated to fill the vacancy in Kenton Family Court in the circuit’s Division 5, Family Court.

The three nominees for the Family Court judgeship are attorneys Acena Johnson Beck of Covington, Thomas Anthony Rauf of Edgewood and Carol Lavonn Risk of Fort Wright.

The Judicial Nominating Commission announced the recommendations Thursday.

Beck has served as the executive director of the Children’s Law Center for nearly four years and was previously the center’s deputy director and, before that, its managing attorney. She received her juris doctor from Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law, where she has been an adjunct professor of juvenile law since January 2020.

Rauf has his own private law practice with a focus that includes family law. He has been in private practice for nearly 11 years and previously served as in-house counsel for a business. He serves as a court-appointed attorney in Kenton County Family Court for juvenile dependency, neglect and abuse cases. He received his juris doctor from the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law.

Risk has her own private practice with a focus that includes family law and serves as a court-appointed attorney in Kenton County Family Court for juvenile dependency, neglect and abuse cases. She previously served as an assistant Kenton County attorney in the Child Support Office, where she established and enforced child support orders. She received her juris doctor from Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law.

The judicial seat became vacant when the Judicial Conduct Commission removed Judge Dawn M. Gentry from the bench in 2020.

Family Court is a division of Circuit Court and has primary jurisdiction in cases involving family issues, including divorces, adoption, child support, domestic violence and juvenile status offenses.