Kentucky Law Journal Volume 105 | Issue 2 Article 3 2017 Removing Recalcitrant County Clerks in Kentucky Shawn D. Chapman Follow this and additional works at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/klj Part of the State and Local Government Law Commons Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits you. Recommended Citation Chapman, Shawn D. (2017) "Removing Recalcitrant County Clerks in Kentucky," Kentucky Law Journal: Vol. 105 : Iss. 2 , Article 3. Available at: https://uknowledge.uky.edu/klj/vol105/iss2/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Journals at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Kentucky Law Journal by an authorized editor of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Removing Recalcitrant County Clerks in Kentucky Shawn D. Chapmani ABSTRACT Events in 2015 surrounding Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis showed how removing county clerks from office is not a simple task in Kentucky. At present, removal can be accomplished only by the same dfficult means required to remove a state-wide executive offlcer, meaning the county clerk has the same tenure as the governor and attorney general. Historically, however, the county clerk was removable by other, lesser means, as were all other county officers. Today, the other county offcers are stillremovable by those lessermeans, but the county clerk is not, resultingin a removal gap. That gap first appearedin 1976 and, based on a review of the available historical materials, was the result of mere oversight when the Kentucky Constitution was revised substantially to implement a new judicial branch.