Politics

Democrat John Yarmuth will seek a fifth term as Kentucky's Third District Congressman in 2014.

The lone Democrat in Kentucky's 8-member federal delegation, Yarmuth's position has been elevated as a point person for the White House on federal appointments. And he is currently a member of the bipartisan work group that is crafting a comprehensive immigration reform bill in the House.

In a message to supporters on Tuesday, Yarmuth says it was important to make an official decision long before the January filing deadline.

"Representing the people of Louisville is the best job I could ever hope for," he says. "Hearing from our community and fighting for our priorities continues to drive me as it did from day one, and I have no intention of stopping anytime soon."

Earlier this year, the Yarmuth campaign dismissed speculation that a sparse first quarter fundraising report was a sign of retirement.

Republican Rand Paul is introducing an amendment to the Senate immigration reform bill that would bar undocumented immigrants from voting in federal elections until they obtain U.S. citizenship.

The proposed is being put out on the same day the Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law that required residents to prove their citizenship before voting.

Paul's "Secure the Vote" amendment is aimed a tackling voter fraud and ensures those on work visas or given status under the Senate bill are not allowed to vote in federal elections until they become citizens.

The amendment would also provide states with new procedures to check that those individuals are not illegally registered to vote.

"Not only would this amendment prevent voter fraud, it would also clear up the problem created by today’s Supreme Court decision," Paul said in a statement. "My amendment requires states to check citizenship before registering people to vote in federal elections."

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Congressional redistricting that was completed last year may have to be redone in an upcoming special legislative session, adding one more potential complication to what has become a protracted effort by Kentucky lawmakers redraw political boundaries.

Gov. Steve Beshear raised the possibility of redrawing congressional maps during an impromptu press conference Monday outside his Capitol office.

The prospect arose because House Democrats are looking to exclude some 8,500 federal prison inmates from the population count used to redraw legislative districts. The problem is that those prisoners were included when lawmakers reconfigured congressional lines.

Beshear said if lawmakers decide to exclude federal prisoners from legislative and judicial districts, then they'd have to be taken out of the congressional ones as well.

"The idea is to make sure that all of them are done on a consistent basis," Beshear said.

The governor said the congressional districts would require only "limited" adjustments if that's the route lawmakers choose to take.

Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell is rejecting a private ethics sanction from the Kentucky Bar Association.

As a result he is facing harsher penalties and increased scrutiny from critics, who are openly recruiting former Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Stengel to run against O'Connell next year.

In January, O’Connell wrote a stinging letter to Jefferson district court judges demanding they put a stop certain legal maneuvers in DUI cases. A number of judges and defense lawyers called O'Connell's letter "inappropriate," and asked for ethics sanctions to be filed.

The Courier-Journal reported this week an inquiry commission ruled on May 8 that O’Connell violated rules barring attorneys from contacting judges without the other side present.

Legal observers are surprised O’Connell made the matter public, and many critics acknowledge it has given momentum to efforts at recruiting Stengel to take on the incumbent county attorney in 2014.

"I don’t know if you want to call it arrogance, feistiness or defiance. But I think (O'Connell) has made it clear that he’s going to do what he wants and doesn’t care what anybody has to say or do about it," says defense attorney Christian Mascagni.

"I call tell you there are many private attorneys who would love Mr. Stengel to run against him. I believe that especially in light of what's come out now, if Mr. Stengel were to run—and we're all hoping that he will—I think he would be a very tough candidate for Mr. O'Connell."