Prewitt, White get training at judicial college

Two local district court judges recently attended judicial college, and a local circuit court clerk attended circuit court clerk college.

District Judges Cathy Prewitt and Fred White, who serve Whitley and McCreary counties, joined colleagues from across the commonwealth at their annual college June 6-9 in Lexington.

It was the first time the district judges gathered in person since 2019 as the college for 2020 was canceled due to COVID-19.

“It was refreshing to be able to meet in person once again,” said Christian County District Court Judge J. Foster Cotthoff, who is president of the Kentucky District Judges Association. “Our colleges not only provide valuable educational programs, but they also give us the opportunity to spend time with people who share the challenges and rewards of serving as a judge.”

The 2021 college focused on giving district judges greater insight on how to handle drunk and drugged driving cases.

“Because district judges see a lot of DUI cases, it was helpful for us to look closely at issues surrounding these cases, including the skills that law enforcement officers use to detect drivers who are under the influence,” Cotthoff said. “This was a great refresher course for experienced judges and an important introduction for newer judges.”

Another session covered Kentucky Senate Bill 85, legislation signed into law in 2020 that requires first-time DUI offenders to use an ignition interlock device or face a longer license suspension. The law is intended to prevent offenders from ignoring their license suspension by driving anyway. Previously, the device was mandatory for repeat DUI offenders and those with a blood alcohol content of .15 or more.

Circuit court clerks from across the commonwealth recently met for their first educational program since COVID-19 prevented in-person meetings in 2020.

Whitley Circuit Court Clerk Gary Barton attended the college, which was held June 27-30 in Covington.

“After a long and challenging year, the circuit clerks were excited to get together for our summer college,” said Bell County Circuit Court Clerk Colby Slusher, who was elected at the college to a one-year term as president of the Kentucky Association of Circuit Court Clerks. “We had a lot of topics and updates to cover, including a discussion about how our offices adapted operations to serve the public during the pandemic.”

One session focused on the progress being made to transition all of Kentucky’s driver’s licensing services from the Offices of Circuit Court Clerk to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. As of Aug. 12, services had been moved from 40 circuit clerk offices to driver’s licensing regional offices. The other 80 counties are scheduled to make the change by June 30, 2022. Kentuckians can now obtain driver’s licenses and ID cards at any of the regional offices, regardless of where they live or whether their county has transitioned. Residents in counties that have not made the change yet can still get the items at their local circuit clerk office if they want.

Barton had to leave the college early this year due to the water leak at the Whitley County Judicial Center.