KY Supreme Court rejects Bevin's request to remove judge from divorce, child support case

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky’s top court has declined to remove the judge in the divorce case of former Gov. Matt Bevin and his ex-wife, in which their son has intervened to request child support.

The Bevins, whose divorce was finalized last year, had previously filed to have Jefferson Family Court Judge Angela Johnson disqualified from the case. The former couple said the court “has pre-judged issues before it,” is biased against them, and that Johnson has been motivated by media attention when ruling in the case.

Johnson previously ruled that she did not have to disqualify herself from the case, and on Thursday, the Kentucky Supreme Court agreed.

The order issued by Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice Debra Hembree Lambert said the Bevins had failed to show Johnson’s bias or that the judge was seeking media attention.

“If judges must tailor their rulings around whether they will garner media attention, rather than on application of law to the facts, justice will never prevail,” Lambert wrote in the 18-page order. “The Kentucky Code of Judicial Conduct requires that ‘[a] judge shall not be swayed by public clamor or fear of criticism.’ The high-profile nature of this case is such that any judge could face scrutiny for his or her decisions.”

It’s the latest development in a more-than yearlong legal battle within the Bevin family. Jonah Bevin, now 19, intervened in the couple’s divorce case to seek financial support after he said his parents abandoned him at an abusive youth facility in Jamaica when he was 16 and are no longer financially supporting him.

He filed for the financial support to further his education, he and his lawyers have said. Two years ago, after returning to the U.S., he attended and graduated from Veritas Mission Academy in Florida, a school that bills itself as providing “classical education from a Christian worldview.” However, Jonah Bevin and his lawyers have said the diploma is worthless, as the school wasn’t accredited.

Jonah Bevin is one of four children adopted by the former governor and his ex-wife from Ethopia. They also have five biological children.

Matt and Glenna Bevin’s divorce was finalized in March 2025, and a month later, Jonah Bevin filed to intervene in their divorce case, asking for retroactive child support and financial assistance.

Matt Bevin previously filed to overturn a 2025 decision that allowed Jonah Bevin to intervene, but a Kentucky Court of Appeals judge declined to overrule that decision last month.

Jonah Bevin also filed for a protective order against his father, saying Matt Bevin had a pattern of “manipulative” and “intimidating” behavior. That order was granted, and Matt Bevin was ordered to have no contact with his son while the case is ongoing.

Matt and Glenna Bevin have also argued their divorce proceedings should be kept private, though the Courier-Journal has intervened in the case and argued they should remain public. In October, the Court of Appeals denied the request to seal the proceedings, and ruled that Jonah Bevin had a right to intervene in the case.

Former governor held in contempt of court

In March, the former governor was held in contempt of court for repeatedly failing to provide his personal financial information as part of the divorce and child support case.

Matt Bevin missed the deadline to produce records showing his income, including bank statements and tax returns. Glenna Bevin was not held in contempt, as she had previously provided her financial documents.

At a court hearing, the former governor interrupted Johnson several times and said he was attempting to provide the information but needed more time to collect the records. He said he did not have traditional documentation of income, and instead had been living off revenue from the sales of property and savings.

Additionally, Matt Bevin had been ordered to appear in person for the hearing, but he attended by Zoom. Bevin told Johnson he had to travel out of state for his ex-wife’s father’s funeral, and was driving with several of their children.

Johnson told Bevin he had been asked repeatedly over several months to provide the information, which is common in family court cases where child support is being determined, and as a result, was in contempt of the court.

Bevin was ordered to serve 60 days in the Jefferson County Jail, unless he paid the $500 bond and provided the information to the court.

However, the arrest warrant was later recalled, with a Kentucky Court of Appeals judge saying Johnson did not have the authority to issue the warrant until the state’s chief justice ruled on the motion for Johnson to recuse herself from the case. The Kentucky Supreme Court then remanded the decision for Johnson’s recusal back to Johnson’s court.

The Supreme Court’s ruling on Thursday supported Johnson’s earlier decision that she did not have to recuse herself.