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Endorses VanMeter
The race
Kentucky Court of Appeals, District 5, Division 1 (special), is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Kentucky judicial races are nonpartisan on the ballot — Secretary of State filings list both candidates as nonpartisan — but this race is the state's most openly partisan judicial contest of the cycle, reported in detail by Kentucky Public Radio. We infer alignment from appointing authority and partisan support, and disclose it.
Will Moynahan — Incumbent. Appointed to the Court of Appeals in April 2025 by Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, filling the vacancy created when Judge Pamela Goodwine won a Supreme Court seat; he seeks a full eight-year term. His career: naval aviator (F/A-18 Hornet, 40 combat missions over Iraq, instructor pilot, 24 years including reserves), then law — night classes at George Washington (high honors, 2013), clerk to Sixth Circuit Judge Eugene Siler Jr., work at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and 12 years as a federal prosecutor. He counts close to five years of appellate experience. Beshear attended his fundraiser and appears on his campaign site; Beshear's super PAC supports him — conduct the nonpartisan Kentucky Judicial Campaign Conduct Committee publicly criticized as blurring the line the state's constitution draws around judicial races.
Lucy Ferguson VanMeter — Challenger. Fayette Circuit Judge since December 2018 (elected, defeating a gubernatorial appointee; re-elected unopposed in 2022). Before that, 17 years as an equity partner at Stoll Keenon Ogden practicing civil litigation in more than 50 Kentucky counties, AV Preeminent peer-rated. Her message is experience: "25 years of experience in the state courts, 17 as a practicing lawyer and eight as a trial judge," prompt rulings ("within a week to 10 days" under submission), and consistent, predictable application of the law. More than a dozen Republican state lawmakers, including legislative leaders, have contributed to her campaign. She is married to former Chief Justice Laurance VanMeter — a fact of biography printed here, not an endorsement claim.
Pros and cons
Moynahan: Credits: A remarkable service record — combat aviator, federal prosecutor, federal appellate clerkships — and 18 months of actual service in this very seat. Dirt/limits: He had literally never practiced in Kentucky's state courts before appointment, by his opponent's documented and unrebutted framing; he is a Democratic governor's appointee whose campaign is financed through the governor's partisan operation, over a judicial-ethics watchdog's objection. VanMeter: Credits: The deepest state-court record in the race — trial lawyer in 50-plus counties, eight years presiding over criminal and civil trials, a stated philosophy of consistent and predictable law application, and Republican legislative support. Dirt/limits: No appellate judging yet — unproven at this level, recorded as such; her husband's former chief-justiceship invites a dynasty question voters may weigh, though no conduct claim attaches to her own record.
OUR CALL
Our call: endorse Lucy Ferguson VanMeter. Inference basis disclosed: Republican-lawmaker-backed, running on consistent application of the law and 25 years inside the court system this seat reviews — against a Beshear appointee whose campaign the state's own judicial-conduct committee flagged for partisan entanglement. Moynahan's military and federal service is honored in full above; this seat reviews Kentucky trial courts, and only one candidate has spent a career in them.
Vote Lucy Ferguson VanMeter.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website. Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same. --- Sources — Kentucky Public Radio via WKYU — Court of Appeals race becoming another partisan judicial battleground, October 2, 2026 — https://www.wkyufm.org/2026-10-02/kentucky-court-of-appeals-race-becoming-another-partisan-judicial-battleground • Kentucky Court of Justice — official biography, Judge Will Moynahan — https://www.kycourts.gov/Courts/Court-of-Appeals/Pages/5th-Appellate-District-Division-1.aspx • Lucy VanMeter campaign — experience record — https://www.lucyvanmeter.com/ • WinCity Voices — profiles of both candidates, October 2026 — https://www.wincityvoices.org/vanmeter-touts-state-court-experience/ • DePauw University — The Public Servants: Lucy Ferguson VanMeter — https://www.depauw.edu/stories/details/the-public-servants-lucy-ferguson-vanmeter-97/ AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.