Timothy N. Philpot

Timothy Neil Philpot (Tim Philpot, born March 18, 1951) is an American lawyer, author and judge. He was elected to serve as a family court circuit judge in Fayette County, Kentucky in 2004, and again in 2006 and 2014, in the latter case with a term expiring in January 2023. He previously served as a Republican member of the Kentucky Senate from 1993 to 1998 His father was a minister in the United Methodist Church and the producer of The Story, the first religious television program broadcast in color. Philpot received his Bachelor of Science degree in history in 1974 and his Juris Doctor in 1977, both from the University of Kentucky.

Judiciary

In the November 2003 elections, Pilpot ran for the position of circuit judge in the fourth division of the Kentucky Circuit Courts, losing to Pamela R. Goodwine 53% to 47%. Governor Ernie Fletcher appointed him to a family court position in the Kentucky first division from January 2004; Philpot was re-elected unopposed in 2006, and again in 2014. Under section 116 of the Constitution of Kentucky, circuit justices terms begin on the first Monday in January following their election and run for eight years; consequently, Philpot's elected term will end on Sunday, January 1, 2023.

Controversies A controversy arose in relation to funding for Philpot's 2004 re-election bid. Philpot accepted a donation of $1,000 from an attorney who was before him in a divorce case; the donor had also planned to host a fundraiser at his home. Philpot's conclusion was that "Kentucky's constitution defines marriage as one man and one woman. Simple and traditional. Kentucky's definition of marriage stands – for now." Then-retired Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky Jennifer Coffman, who was Kentucky's first female federal judge,

Philpot made further controversial comments after the 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, legalizing gay marriage throughout the United States. Philpot described gay marriage as an oxymoron, the Supreme Court's decision as "pretty close to insane," and described homosexual relationships as "sterile" and "just entertainment."

Writing As a family court judge, Philpot has presided over a considerable number of cases involving relationship breakdown, which often end in a divorce on the grounds of a marriage being "irretrievably broken." Believing that many of these marriages were salvageable, Philpot has written a novel, Judge Z: Irretrievably Broken,

Publications Ford's Wonderful World of Golf (2013) – described by Philpot as "a tribute and memoir to his evangelist father, Ford Philpot, whose passion for golf was only exceeded by his love for proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Judge Z: Irretrievably Broken (2016)

Other activities Philpot joined the Christian Business Men's Connection (CBMC), an international evangelical Christian organization with the mission to "evangelize and disciple business and professional men for Christ" in 1978. He served as the president of CBMC International from July 1996 to September 2003.