State Rep. Pamela Stevenson lacks Kentucky law license for attorney general campaign.

State Rep. Pamela Stevenson Running for Kentucky Attorney General Without a Law License

State Rep. Pamela Stevenson, a Louisville Democrat, is making headlines as she campaigns to become Kentucky’s attorney general. However, there’s one major issue: she does not hold a license to practice law in the state of Kentucky.

According to the State Board of Elections, candidates for attorney general in Kentucky must have been practicing lawyers for eight years prior to their election. This requirement raises questions about Stevenson’s qualifications for the position.

“Her campaign is deceiving voters and making a mockery of Kentucky’s legal system,” said spokesman Sean Southard of the Republican Party of Kentucky.

Stevenson, who recently won her second term as a lawmaker, is currently in good standing and was licensed by the Indiana State Bar Association in 1984. However, this does not grant her the ability to practice law in Kentucky.

“Pamela Stevenson is running around Kentucky saying she will be the ‘People’s Lawyer,'” Southard said. “She left out the ‘people’ she’s talking about will have to live in Indiana. One of two things must be true: Either she cannot practice law in Kentucky or she is a criminal who is practicing law without a license. Either way, she is the most unqualified candidate to ever run for this office.”

Stevenson’s campaign has responded to these accusations, stating that she recently passed an ethics test required by the Kentucky Bar Association. They claim that this test was not administered to Stevenson when she graduated from Indiana University School of Law in 1984. Her campaign team argues that her 27 years of service as a judge advocate general with the U.S. Air Force should be taken into consideration when evaluating her qualifications.

“It’s pretty ironic that Kentucky Republican operatives have been pushing this story when Daniel Cameron had almost zero experience before he became AG. As we like to say — that dog won’t hunt,” said Ashley Wolfeser, Stevenson’s campaign manager.

Despite the controversy surrounding Stevenson’s lack of a Kentucky law license, she is one of only two candidates running for attorney general, meaning both candidates will advance to the general election on November 7, 2023.

On the other side of the race is Russell Coleman, the Republican candidate and a former U.S. prosecutor. Coleman was appointed as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky by President Donald Trump in 2017.

Stevenson hopes to replace the current Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who is not seeking reelection and has joined the race of Republicans attempting to unseat Gov. Andy Beshear. Cameron faced scrutiny over his qualifications in 2019 but ultimately won the Republican primary.

It remains to be seen how Stevenson’s lack of a Kentucky law license will impact her campaign and the upcoming election. The Washington Examiner has reached out to Stevenson’s campaign for comment.

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