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Lincoln County: Lambert unseated as family court judge

November 08, 2006|STEPHANIE SCHELL

STANFORD - Lincoln was one of three counties that would determine who would be named the next Family Court Judge. After the totals for Lincoln and Rockcastle counties were tabulated, Walter Maguire appeared to be losing to incumbent Debra Lambert.

Carrie Schultz, president of Concerned Citizens for a Better Family Court, a group that was against the re-election of Lambert, said she and everyone around her Tuesday night were biting their nails until the final results were posted. She and other Maguire supporters were at the Rural Development Center in Pulaski County.

Both Lincoln and Rockcastle county votes showed Lambert beating Maguire. At midnight Tuesday, the results for Pulaski County, the largest of the three with 58 precincts and Maguire's home county, was posted on the Secretary of State Web site. Maguire overwhelmingly took Pulaski County bringing in more than double the votes of Lambert.

"All the hard work of our group has paid off," Schultz said.

And, of course, she said Maguire's hard work paid off as well.

"We are just overjoyed," she said. "There are no words."

Schultz's children were temporarily placed in foster care by Lambert in 2002, and Schultz said with the start of the new term, no one else will have to fear going to family court.

"It's a new start for the parents and children of all three counties," Schultz said. "(Maguire) follows the law, and he has a history in his judgeship before of following the law."

Schultz said it didn't hurt that Maguire is a resident of Pulaski, that her group was more active there than in any of the three counties, and that Maguire "has a very established reputation here."

Schultz said the race has been about the children's well-being, and the group just wanted a change so no more children would suffer.

"We wish (Lambert) no ill, and will continue to pray for Judge Lambert," Schultz said. "We just want it to stop. ... The good win the war."

In Lincoln County, Lambert received 2,795, or 52 percent of the votes, and Maguire received 2,575, or 48 percent of the votes. In Rockcastle County, Lambert's home, she received 2,253, or 58 percent of the votes, and Maguire received 1,633, or 42 percent of the votes. Pulaski County brought Maguire 11,701, or 69 percent of the votes. Lambert received 5,351, or 31 percent of the votes.

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