Michael Caperton

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Michael Caperton

Kentucky 27th Circuit Court

Tenure

Present officeholder

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last elected

November 8, 2016

Education

Bachelor's

Transylvania University, 1977

Graduate

Cumberland College

Law

University of Kentucky College of Law, 1987

Michael Caperton is a judge of the Kentucky 27th Circuit Court.

Caperton ran in a special election for the Division 1 judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals 3rd Appellate District. He lost in the special general election on November 5, 2019.

Caperton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. Click here to read the survey answers.

Caperton is a judge of the 27th Circuit Court, which he was elected to in 2016. He first served as a district court judge for the 27th Judicial District from 1994 until his election to the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 2007. He served in that position from 2008 to 2014, when he lost his bid for re-election.

Biography

Caperton received his undergraduate degree from Transylvania University in 1977. He earned a teaching certificate for biology and chemistry from Cumberland College. He then went on to receive his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1987.

Elections

2019

See also: Kentucky intermediate appellate court elections, 2019

General election

Special general election for Kentucky Court of Appeals 3rd Division 1

Jacqueline Caldwell defeated Michael Caperton in the special general election for Kentucky Court of Appeals 3rd Division 1 on November 5, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jacqueline Caldwell (Nonpartisan)	53.7	62,851
		Michael Caperton (Nonpartisan)	46.3	54,098

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 116,949
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Jacqueline Caldwell and Michael Caperton advanced from the special primary for Kentucky Court of Appeals 3rd Division 1.

2016

See also: Kentucky local trial court judicial elections, 2016

Kentucky held nonpartisan elections for local judicial offices on November 8, 2016. A primary election took place on May 17, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was January 26, 2016. Michael Caperton defeated incumbent Danny Evans in the Kentucky 27th Circuit Court general election.

Kentucky 27th Circuit Court, General Election, 2016
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Michael Caperton	53.22%	17,949
Danny Evans Incumbent	46.78%	15,775
Total Votes		33,724
Source: Kentucky State Board of Elections, "2016 General Election Unofficial Results," November 8, 2016

2014

See also: Kentucky judicial elections, 2014

Caperton ran for re-election to the Kentucky Court of Appeals.
General: He was defeated in the general election on November 4, 2014, after receiving 46.6 percent of the vote. He competed against Debra Hembree Lambert.  

Campaign themes

2019

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Michael Caperton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2019. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Caperton's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

My goals are to use my extensive experience to provide the best decision possible in every case, which is critical to the role. I will also work to ensure (as I did when previously elected to this position 2007-2014) that my cases are completed in a timely manner. There was a backlog when I first arrived at the Court of Appeals, and I cleaned it up and kept my cases up to date until the day I retired. I’ll also work to make sure everyone is heard. Sometimes, judges seem intimidating and unapproachable. In every position I’ve held, I have made sure that everyone involved understands that I care about what they’re saying, their situation, and their outcome.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I personally care about children and families. When I was a district judge for 14 years, it was before family court judges existed. So I handled the majority of what is now considered family law, such as custody cases and child abuse, among others. As a dad of four daughters, I work to protect all children and families so that they can receive the best possible outcome. Another area I’m passionate about is fighting opioid addiction, which will also help families in our communities.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Integrity, Humbleness,

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I have integrity, understanding, and experience, among other traits. The people who know me best have kept me elected over 20 years with the KY Judiciary, which says a lot.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Some of the core responsibilities are to listen to each and every person involved and be understanding towards them. Also, to use my experience to produce the best outcome according to the law.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a legacy of honesty and respect for our judicial system.

Why are you running for this particular court seat?

I’m running for this seat, because it’s critical that we have an experienced judge at the second highest level of court in our state. Lack of experience leads to inadequate decisions and more likely that mistakes will be made.

If you are not a sitting judge, do you have previous judicial experience? Do you believe it's important to have that kind of experience for this judgeship?

I’m currently a Circuit Judge. Before this, I was a KY Court of Appeals Judge from 2007-2014. Previous to that, I was a District Judge from 1994-2007. Experience is always an advantage over a lack thereof. I’ve found that an overwhelming majority of citizens prefer a judge who knows what they’re doing, and has previous judicial experience, over someone who has none.

Would you be interested in serving on a higher court in the future? If so, which court appeals to you?

I would be happy to serve in any and every capacity my community sees fit to elected me into. I love serving people and working to make our communities, counties, and state a safe and healthy place to live.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2019 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

The Daily Brew The Weekly Brew The Ballot Bulletin Checks and Balances Economy and Society Hall Pass Number of the Day Robe & Gavel Union Station

• Courts in Kentucky
• Kentucky counties
• Judicial selection in Kentucky

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Kentucky Court of Justice, "Judge Michael Caperton"
• Kentucky Court of Justice, "Kentucky Court of Appeals"

Footnotes

Kentucky courts

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Federal courts:

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky

State courts:

Kentucky Supreme Court • Kentucky Court of Appeals • Kentucky Circuit Courts • Kentucky District Courts • Kentucky Family Court

State resources:

Courts in Kentucky • Kentucky judicial elections • Judicial selection in Kentucky

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