Jim Shake
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James "Jim" Shake is the chief judge in the Jefferson Circuit Court, Division 2. He has served on that court since 1993, having been appointed by then-Governor Brereton Jones.
Shake also ran as a candidate for the Kentucky Supreme Court, in 2008 against incumbent justice Lisabeth Hughes Abramson. He lost the electoral contest, earning 45% of the vote.[1],[2]
Legal background
A product of the Jefferson County public schooling system himself, Shake attended college on a football scholarship, before a knee injury dashed his athletic hopes. He then transferred to the University of Louisville, where in 1977 he graduated with honors. He stayed at the University for law school, and in 1980 he received his J.D..[3]
Awards and associations
Shake started his career as a public defender for Jefferson county, where he would go on to work for three years. He left the defender's office to start a private practice, while at the same time serving as Assistant County Attorney.
In March of 1993, Shake was appointed to the Jefferson Circuit Court, Division 2 by then-Governor Brereton Jones. He has served there ever since, and has been chosen as chief judge of the Jefferson Circuit three times by the court's other members, most recently in 2007. In his time on the bench he has garnered distinguished reviews from local attorneys, and in 2003 he was named Judge of the Year by the Louisville Bar Association.
2008 election campaign
October 22 forum
The Louisville Lawyers' Chapter of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is hosting a candidates forum for Abramson and Shake on Wednesday, Octo will host a judicial forum for candidates for the Supreme Court of Kentucky on Wednesday, October 22 in Louisville. University of Kentucky law professor Paul Salamanca will moderate the panel.[4]
Louisville Bar Association rankings
744 members of the Louisville Bar Association rated the two candidates, responding for each candidate either "highly qualified", "qualified", "unqualified", "do not know" or "not rated".[5],[6]
| Candidate | Highly qualified | Qualified | Not qualified | Do not know | Not rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lisabeth Hughes Abramson | 65.7% | 18.3% | 2.2% | 8.6% | 5.2% |
| Jim Shake | 58.7% | 28.6% | 2.6% | 5.5% | 4.6% |
Notable rulings
Shake weighs DNA testing
Judge Shake must decide whether or not to honor the first DNA testing request made by one of Kentucky's Death Row inmates. Shake has said there is “reasonable probability” that, if the testing existed at the time the inmate allegedly committed murder,--1979--he would not have been convicted.[7]
The case of the 18 fired teachers
The Jefferson County Teachers Association sued Jefferson County's school district superintendent Sheldon Berman in May, 2008 for not rehiring 18 teachers who had been released due to alleged disciplinary and performance issues. The lawsuit is pending in Jefferson Circuit Court. In July, Shake refused to grant the temporary injunction that had been requested by the teacher's union asking that the teachers be re-instated pending a full hearing.[8]
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Abramson retains Supreme Court seat
- ↑ Law Reader
- ↑ Shake biography
- ↑ Musings of a Bluegrass Barrister, "Mark your calendars", September 20, 2008
- ↑ Kentucky Bar Association 2008 judicial candidate poll results
- ↑ Know a judge, ask an attorney, September 24, 2008
- ↑ More DNA tests in 1979 slaying case requested
- ↑ Berman ad slips onto air
