56th Circuit Judge C.A. “Woody” Woodall, III announced Monday that he will be retiring effective January 31, 2022.
Judge Woodall first ran for election as Circuit Judge in 2006. He has served as the Circuit Judge of the 56th Circuit consisting of Caldwell, Livingston, Lyon and Trigg counties since January 1, 2007. According to Judge Woodall, the 56th Judicial Circuit with a single circuit judge has become one of the busiest circuits and, in fact, the last three years, the busiest on a per judge caseload basis in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Judge Woodall stated about his retirement that he has been honored to serve the litigating public for 15 years. He added it has been a challenging time with the number of cases, and with the changes brought about by the coronavirus. Judge Woodall said he could not have done the job without the help of his Administrative Assistant Kathy Wallace, Judge Jamus Redd, and Judge Natalie White and the Circuit Clerks in all four counties and their staff, as well as the lawyers who practice in the 56th Circuit.
Judge Woodall said that he does not have any specific plans for retirement other than having more personal time to spend with family and friends.
Judge Woodall will continue to serve with the permission of Chief Justice John Minton until the vacancy is filled by Governor Andy Beshear from a list of three nominees by the Judicial Nominating Commission.
Judge Woodall was the fifth Circuit Judge in the 56th Judicial Circuit following Edward H. Johnstone, J.O. Hardin, Jr., Willard B. Paxton, and Bill Cunningham.
