Ky. Supreme Court candidate Tapp speaks at Corbin Rotary meeting

David Tapp, Circuit Court Judge for Pulaski, Rockcastle and Lincoln counties, who is one of three candidates for the Kentucky Supreme Court, was the featured speaker at the Corbin Rotary Club meeting last Thursday.

Circuit Court Judge David Tapp spoke to the Corbin Rotary Club last Thursday about his campaign for the Ky. Supreme Court.

Tapp, who is running against Dan Ballou and Debra Hembree Lambert for the Third Supreme Court District seat, which serves 27 counties in south central Kentucky, has served as a law enforcement officer, prosecutor and judge.

Tapp explained that, while unknown to the general public, the seven justices that comprise the supreme court hold a tremendous amount of sway within the state.

“They have a tremendous impact on what happens in the Comonwealth of Kentucky, whether it is directly, such as an appeal from some decision that goes up to the supreme court or indirectly by reviewing the statues from the General Assembly that are passed,” Tapp noted adding that decisions by the Kentucky Supreme Court are more likely to impact the average Kentuckian than a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Tapp challenge voters to not just take his word about him, but to investigate for themselves his record and that of his opponents before casting their ballots.

Tapp has served as a circuit judge in the 28^th Judicial Circuit since 2005, being recognized twice for his efforts with the drug court.

“I promise to bring the same enegy, passion and commitment for our family friends and neighbors,” he said

In addition, he has been appointed by Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. to serve as a policy advisor for Congress and the U.S. Department of Justice on issues dealing with children.

Finally, he is the only judge in the national tabbed to serve as a policy advisor at the upcoming Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse Summit in Atlanta, Georgia.

“That is a little bit of what I have been doing over the past several years. That is the type of question you should be asking of each and every candidate,” Tapp said.

The race for supreme court is non-partisan. The two candidates with the most votes will face off in the general election on Nov. 6 for an eight-year term.

For the position of supreme court justice, the candidate must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of both the Commonwealth and of the district from which he or she is elected for at least two years immediately prior to taking office. He or she must be licensed to practice law in the courts of the Commonwealth for at least eight years before becoming eligible to serve on the court.^[