Stan Whetzel

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Stan Whetzel

Nonpartisan

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 17, 2022

Education

Bachelor's

Duke University, 1971

Law

University of Louisville, Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, 1981

Personal

Birthplace

Montgomery, Ala.

Profession

Lawyer

Contact

Campaign website

Stan Whetzel ran for election for the Division 2 judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals 4th Appellate District. He lost in the primary on May 17, 2022.

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

Whetzel was a 2014 candidate for the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

Biography

Stan Whetzel was born in Montgomery, Alabama. Whetzel received a bachelor's degree from Duke University in 1971 and a J.D. from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law in 1981. His career experience includes working as a lawyer and a social services case worker for elderly and disabled adults. Whetzel has been affiliated with the Louisville Bar Association, the Kentucky Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Rotary Club of Louisville.

Elections

2022

See also: Kentucky intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

General election

General election for Kentucky Court of Appeals 4th Division 2

Annette Karem defeated McKenzie Cantrell in the general election for Kentucky Court of Appeals 4th Division 2 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Annette Karem (Nonpartisan)	50.9	103,062
		McKenzie Cantrell (Nonpartisan)	49.1	99,407

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 202,469
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Kentucky Court of Appeals 4th Division 2

Annette Karem and McKenzie Cantrell defeated Stan Whetzel in the primary for Kentucky Court of Appeals 4th Division 2 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Annette Karem (Nonpartisan)	50.6	55,931
✔		McKenzie Cantrell (Nonpartisan)	37.8	41,753
		Stan Whetzel (Nonpartisan)	11.6	12,791

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 110,475
= 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.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2014

See also: Kentucky judicial elections, 2014
Whetzel ran for election to the Kentucky Court of Appeals.
General: He was defeated in the general election on November 4, 2014, after receiving 27.6 percent of the vote. He competed against incumbent Judge Denise Clayton. 

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

After practicing civil litigation and appellate law in Louisville for more than thirty years, I have acted on my wish to serve Kentucky as a Judge of the Court of Appeals. I am a career private lawyer. My legal career has been diverse, not devoted to a single client or industry. I represent both plaintiffs and defendants. I have represented individuals, estates, small businesses, large businesses, federally-chartered banking corporations, and government agencies. My career path therefore has differed in important ways from those of many currently on the bench. I would bring to it different and beneficial perspectives, views, and talents developed over decades of legal practice. I am peer review rated “AV” for legal ability (“preeminent”) and ethics (‘very high”) by Martindale-Hubbell. My practice has focused on civil litigation and appeals. I also handle federal False Claims Act “qui tam” litigation. Although I am a candidate for election, I am not a politician. Nor am I a government employee. My wife Sally and I live in the Highlands, where our three children attended Jefferson County public schools. I have been active with community service, and enjoy spending time with family, friends, and neighbors.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• The Court of Appeals is important to us all. For many it is the last chance to obtain the justice they seek.
• Every losing party is entitled to one appeal. For that reason, I consider the COA to be the most consequential court.
• I will give my best efforts to the cases that come before me regardless of name, age, race, gender, orientation, or social status. I will apply the law

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I consider an independent judicial system to be the indispensable safeguard to preserve and maintain a healthy democracy. As a private lawyer it is my role and extraordinary privilege to be a bridge between the people and the might and power of business and government. It is not the role of the Court of Appeals to make public policy. It is the court that exists to correct judicial errors, and for most people it is the court of last resort. As a judicial candidate, it is not my role to be biased or partisan, but like everyone I do have personal views. Our society must provide fair opportunities for people to have meaningful work and a livable income. I believe the American Dream must be accessible to everyone. We cannot allow our democracy to be destroyed by impoverishing the future.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Thomas More, as portrayed in A Man for All Seasons.

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

I think good temperament, integrity, and tenacity are most important.

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

Intelligence, integrity, and diligence.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The construction of the Berlin Wall. I was eleven or twelve.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Bag boy at the Hickam Air Force Base Commissary Honolulu, Hawaii. 1.5 years.

What is your favorite book? Why?

The Horse’s Mouth by Joyce Cary. What I like about it is the depiction of an elderly artist’s mind, and all of the extraordinary humor and visual fireworks.

Is there a particular judge, past or present, whom you admire?

Yes, and I’ll name three: Judge Learned Hand of the second Circuit Court of Appeals, Justice Stevens of the Supreme Court, and Justice Holmes of the Supreme Court.

Do you believe that empathy is an important quality for a judge?

What I understand empathy to be is a quality of fellow feeling toward other human beings. I think it’s an essential human quality. It’s not a judicial quality as such, but were I to appear before a court I would hope the judge would demonstrate empathy.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for a judge to have previous experience in government or politics?

I think it is essential for a judge to have a solid grounding in the law and experience as a practicing lawyer. I do not think government or political experience is necessarily beneficial, but I think all experience is valuable.

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

2022 Elections

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Candidate

Kentucky Court of Appeals 4th Division 2

Website

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