Green's Appeal to Ethics Verdicts Begins

A Jefferson Circuit Court judge will hear oral arguments Monday in the appeal of two rulings made by the city's ethics panel against Councilwoman Judy Green, D-1.Earlier this year, the Metro Ethics Commis­sion found Green deliberately broke the city’s code of ethics in two separate incidents.The first charged alleged Green used a city-funded summer jobs program to benefit members of her family and another accused her of rerouting funds through a non-profit group without the council’s knowledge.The panel ruled unanimously in both cases, issued a stinging letter of reprimand and censure and also recommended the west Louisville lawmaker's removal from office.Requesting that both appeals be combined, Green and her attorneys claim the commis­sion’s opin­ions are based on errors of law and is unsupport­ed by the ev­idence. She is requesting the court reverse both decisions.Attorney James Earthart served as prosecutor in the ethics cases. He says there isn’t any point to the embattled councilwoman’s appeal and the commission acted appropriately."The entire process was far from flawed. It gave greater due process rights that have been recognized, some of which are greater than I’ve actually ever seen before," he says. "They simply disagree with those findings and conclusions, but in every litigation one side wins and one wide loses. That’s just the way litigation goes."Green's attorneys could not be reached for comment.The oral arguments for both sides are expected to conclude Monday with a ruling expected by Judge Judith McDonald-Burkman later this week.Green also faces an expulsion trial in the Metro Council scheduled for September 12.