Kaitlin Dean

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Kaitlin Dean
Image of Kaitlin Dean
Elections and appointments
Last election

November 8, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Baylor University, 2009

Law

University of Kansas School of Law, 2013

Personal
Birthplace
Columbia, Mo.
Profession
Attorney, business owner
Contact

Kaitlin Dean ran for election for judge of the Kentucky 30th District Court 9th Division. She lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Dean completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Kaitlin Dean was born in Columbia, Missouri. She earned a bachelor's degree from Baylor University in 2009. She earned a J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law in 2013. Dean's career experience includes working as an attorney and as a business owner. She has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]

  • The Fillies, Inc.
  • Association of Military Spouse Entrepreneurs
  • The Military Spouse J.D. Network
  • Justice for Military Families (JMF) Network
  • Kappa Alpha Theta Fraternity, Louisville Alumnae Chapter
  • Women Who Wine for a Cause
  • Kentucky Derby Festival Foundation
  • Brief Grader and Moot Court Final Competition Judge for the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Advocacy Competition (NACC)
  • National Panhellenic Council, Louisville Chapter

Elections

2022

See also: City elections in Louisville, Kentucky (2022)

General election

General election for Kentucky 30th District Court 9th Division

Incumbent Tanisha Hickerson defeated Kaitlin Dean in the general election for Kentucky 30th District Court 9th Division on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Tanisha Hickerson (Nonpartisan)
 
57.0
 
105,983
Image of Kaitlin Dean
Kaitlin Dean (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
42.2
 
78,418
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.7
 
1,380

Total votes: 185,781
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Tanisha Hickerson and Kaitlin Dean advanced from the primary for Kentucky 30th District Court 9th Division.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Kaitlin Dean completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Dean's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Kaitlin Smith Dean is an attorney and proud military spouse currently running for Jefferson County District Court Judge, Division Nine. She has been nominated for Kentucky National Guard Military Spouse of the Year in both 2018 and 2021 for her advocacy efforts on behalf of military spouses, veterans and service members; voted top 10 Kentucky attorney’s in the areas of both criminal defense and family law for the entirety of the time she has been in private practice, and recently had a book published as a result of her work with the Innocence Project that led to the exoneration of Floyd Bledsoe, who spent almost 16 years in prison for a crime her did not commit. Kaiti is devoted to serving the local community through her pro bono work with domestic violence victims; volunteering with the Kentucky Derby Festival; and serving as a member of the Fillies, the fundraising support behind the Derby Festival. She also holds board positions on various other community organizations.
  • Equality, not only in the way people are treated, but the way the law is applied. Judges have a moral and ethical duty to appreciate stability in law, while recognizing need for change in a constantly evolving society. Judges must be confident in their rulings and not allow the potential impact and consequences of a decision to drive their thought process. Judges are the procedural gatekeepers. They must not only know the law, the changes in the law; but the must also know the rules of practice, procedure and evidence. Having prior experience in District Court important, but the community deserves candidates who possess the fundamental knowledge of the different types of law that District Judges preside over as a baseline qualification.
  • Community involvement is paramount to positive change. We need to be actively seeking ways to involve the greater community in our justice system. An example would be a community organization allowing defendants volunteer their time instead of paying unreasonable fees that could lead to jail time in our already overcrowded jails; to educating the community about the court systems; having open oversight boards; community liaisons; community-based partnerships; community within the district court bench; etc. Judges need to share the fundamental values to which our community should aspire, i.e., respect for individual rights; democratic government; and the rule of law.
  • Innovation is the key to a successful court system. A willingness to find creative solutions to existing problems through innovative approaches is the only way to solve existing problems. Judges must be collaborative and open to new learning to achieve deliberate excellence. If funding cannot be secured to achieve a strategic goal, the judiciary must work with community partners and government leaders to figure out how to help make the justice system work - i.e., an initiative to focus on the actual administration of the judicial system without compromising community safety, job security, sustainable community relationships.
Kaitlin believes in a holistic approach to the justice system. Maintaining a strong stance on crime while using resources available to identify and treat the underlying causes criminal behavior - only then can our community prevent jail overcrowding and recidivism - in addition to maintaining accountability and transparency within the local judicial system desperately needs.

Kaitlin’s unique life experiences, practice in the Courts of different states, role in the exoneration of Floyd Bledsoe and continued work with the Innocence Project, knowledge of forensic science, and unmatched diversity of experience will make her an asset to the District Court Judicial Bench.

Kaitlin chose Louisville, and has dedicated her life to serving this community. She believes that she has the ability to show the community that, although she may not be a Louisville native, her life experiences and background have shaped her into the best candidate for the position - a fair, impartial, Judge, with the diversity of experience to be keenly aware of the social issues that influence both the present day and will likely shape the children of tomorrow. Through her actions, she aims to ultimately earn and hopefully restore the local community’s faith in the judiciary.
Integrity. Without that, you have no foundation of trust whatsoever. Defendants won’t respect you; litigants and attorneys will take advantage of you. Judges are there to do one job, and one job one - uphold the law with dignity and respect. If a judge can’t handle that responsibility or loses that power, they might as well give up their seat.
I am resilient. I moved to Kentucky with my husband on active-duty military orders. After three almost year-long tours to Afghanistan, Iraq and other war zones, we chose to make Louisville our permanent home so that

I could open my own law practice because I saw a desperate need for reform within the justice
system.

I served as a Public Defender in the Adult Trial Division of the Louisville Metro Public Defender's Office and worked as a special approved contract attorney on a capital murder case from 2016 to 2017. I now own a general practice solo law firm where I do family court litigation, mediations, hearings and trials to representing individuals in domestic violence hearings.
I practice regularly in District Court, representing clients with traffic tickets, misdemeanor and felony cases, including jury trials; evictions, wills and guardianships, small claims, and civil cases.

I continue to consult on Innocence Project cases, and work throughout the local community to inspire children to stand up against bullying. My commitment to lifelong education, leadership, and dedication to service will make me an asset to the judicial bench.
My goal is to promote a court system that is fair and equal to all humankind. I believe in taking a holistic approach to the judicial system. By maintaining a tough stance on crime while using resources available to identify and treat the underlying problems and issues that caused the criminal behavior to begin with, only then can our community prevent jail overcrowding and recidivism. Additionally, if elected, it is my hope that we can maintain the accountability and transparency the local judicial system desperately needs to help restore any perceived gap between the judicial bench and the local community.
I believe that everyone should leave Court knowing they had the opportunity to participate in the process and present their case; each party was treated the same and the law was applied equally to both sides; the Judge and the judicial system is trustworthy; and most of all, the party was treated as valued member of society, regardless of the outcome of their case.
The District Court Judges in Jefferson County touch more individual lives on a daily basis than any other level of the court system, as it is where most of our community will appear with respect to their rights and obligations under the law.  Due process will be paramount in my courtroom, if elected, and I will not hesitate to afford those that appear before me the full extent of the rights to which they are entitled under the law.

Judges also have the unique ability to use their position to exercise the widest influence for good. I believe it is essential for all Judges to have practical experience with the Rules of Practice and Procedure for the type of law over which they preside. District Court Judges hold an extreme amount of discretion in their day-to-day work, and my work with the Innocence Project has certainly taught me that our entire legal system depends on the integrity and independence of the Judiciary.
I believe there needs to be a more holistic approach to the justice system. There is grant funding available to place social workers in the courtrooms who can follow up on specific cases which may need more attention than another. For example, if a community organization is in desperate need of volunteers, they can contact a liaison and Judges can assign more volunteer hours instead of costs and fines that could potentially lead to incarceration if left unpaid, thus benefiting the entire community.

We need case managers/court liaisons in the District Courts, who can research and check if an individual has active Family Court cases and follow up with that Judge’s staff to make sure the entire Jefferson County Court System is aware of all moving parts involving an individual. This job would also entail informing the District Court Judge if/when a Defendant has unique personal needs; if special healthcare arrangements may be required; and allow the Judge to determine if a respective situation rises to a level which would necessitate extraordinary considerations.

We need workers to make sure Defendants and their families have places to live, are signed up for health insurance, and have basic human necessities – all things which help prevent recidivism. There are always creative solutions available if one is willing to put the time and effort into the job.
I most admire Ruth Bader Ginsberg because her work, along with the parody skits on NBC’s Saturday Night Live that connected her with the younger generations, were able to re-invigorate the United States’ interest in the Supreme Court, legal issues, and cases that come before the Court like history has never seen before.

As an attorney, I have found studying her techniques for legal persuasion to be the most enchanting. The way Justice Ginsburg labored over the usage of a single word, it’s placement within a sentence and the profound effect it could have on influencing reasoning and choices is fascinating. I greatly admire her mastery of the skill of active listening, and willingness to go above and beyond to build lasting relationships with both like-minded and people who challenged her ways of thinking.

In my daily life, I aspire to, as Justice Ginsberg once said, “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
“Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.” -Oprah. Empathy is an extremely important trait for a Judge to have. It’s the lifeline to understanding the human condition. If a Judge has no empathy, then they cannot connect with people on an interpersonal level or build report with colleagues or the community members they serve.

However, this empathy must extend to all persons involved. For example, it would arguably violate the Constitutional guarantees of Equal Protection if a Judge could only empathize with victims in certain cases; or vice versa, if a Judge were to only be able to empathize with someone accused of a crime or about to evicted due a legitimate and legal reason.

This premise is not to be confused with a Judge’s ultimate responsibility to remain impartial in their rulings, to make informed decisions grounded in fact and supported by the law - fairly and dispassionately. Ultimately, judicial empathy and the administration of justice are not mutually exclusive.
Only to the extent that they are more proficient in maneuvering certain campaign tactics and financial avenues that candidates who have never ran for office before are not informed of.

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See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 20, 2022