LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — As March comes to a close, so does Women's History Month. We're highlighting Fayette County's female judges who are breaking down barriers in the judicial system.
Currently, 11 of the 17 judges and justices serving in Fayette County are women. Four are women of color. The historic representation is captured in photos taken this month by Mark Mahan Multimedia.
The inspiration for the snapshots first came to Judge Melissa Moore Murphy inside a classroom at William Wells Brown Elementary School.
"One young girl came down and said, 'I really want to be a judge, but I'm scared, because I'm a girl,'" she said. "And I said, 'Why are you scared?' And she said, 'I don't know, I just am, because I'm a girl.' And I said, 'Well I can tell you this. I promise you can be a judge because you are a girl.'"
Judge Moore Murphy knew she needed to make the photos come to life. She and her peers set out to show Fayette County the women who make up the majority of their judiciary.
"It just shows how progressive Lexington is, and how trusting Lexington is, that females can get the job done, just as well as a man," said Judge Denotra Gunther, who was first appointed to her position in 2021 and won reelection last year.
Moore Murphy, Gunther, and Judge Diane Minnifield say that wasn't always the case, especially when they began their law careers.
"I graduated when there were very few women in my class," said Minnifield. "And when I started to practice law, there was even fewer women that came into and out of the courtroom. And so, you just got so excited when you saw them, especially if you saw a black female. It was like, let's have a party."
Decades later, these women say they're proud to serve Fayette County with poise, professionalism and girl power. They hope that inspires the next generation of girls wondering if they can do it, too.
"You can be anything you can dream," said Minnifield. "Luckily you're now having an opportunity to see it. So many of us didn't have that opportunity to see it."
"If you can see it, you can be it," said Gunther. "I truly believe that."
According to Moore Murphy, the photos of the judges will be printed out and framed in all of the classrooms at William Wells Brown Elementary, so kids can continue to see them.
The 11 women serving on the bench in Fayette County are: Traci Brislin, Kimberly Nell Bunnell, Pamela R. Goodwine, Julie Muth Goodman, Denotra Gunther, Diane Minnifield, Libby Messer, Melissa Moore Murphy, Lindsay Hughes Thurston, Lucy VanMeter, and Tiffany Yahr.
It's not just judges. According to CivicLex, nine out 15 councilmembers are also women.
