Family Court Judge Reprimanded for Handling of Divorce Cases

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – A family court judge in Lexington has been reprimanded for requiring divorcing couples with children to participate in special hearings to determine if their marriages are really irretrievably broken.

Childless couples did not have to participate in those hearings.

Fayette Family Court Judge Timothy Philpot received the public reprimand in an order released Monday by the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission. It found that Philpot violated judicial canons, including one requiring that judges perform their duties “fairly and impartially.”

Philpot, a former state senator, cooperated with the investigation and agreed to the commission’s order.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reported (http://bit.ly/2iwF2ah) that Philpot wrote a novel last year that tells the story of a judge who orders similar controversial hearings to delay the divorce of a couple with children in hopes that they will reconcile.

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Information from: Lexington Herald-Leader, http://www.kentucky.com

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press.