Kentucky Court of Appeals orders judge to recall arrest warrant for former Gov. Matt Bevin

Christopher Leach, Lexington Herald-Leader on Mar 27, 2026

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Kentucky Court of Appeals judge ordered a Jefferson family court judge to recall an arrest warrant Friday for former Gov. Matt Bevin after ruling that judge did not have the authority to issue the warrant.

Bevin’s warrant was issued Tuesday after Judge Angela Johnson held him in contempt of court for repeatedly failing to provide court-ordered personal financial information in an ongoing support case involving his estranged, adopted son. Bevin was sentenced to serve 60 days in the Jefferson County Jail unless he pays the $500 bond and provides the required information to the court.

Before the sentence was imposed, Bevin’s lawyer made a motion to recuse Johnson from the case, citing a pending motion filed the day before asking the Kentucky Supreme Court to remove the family court judge from the case as she lacked jurisdiction to issue a sentencing.

In the motion looking to oust Johnson, Bevin’s attorney argued she was using her role in the case to garner media attention and made false claims about the former governor.

“She is using me as a political pinata,” Bevin said in an affidavit.

Johnson declined to take up that motion, saying she had checked with the Kentucky Supreme Court and learned the motion had not been properly filed. Johnson said Bevin’s warrant was issued Tuesday.

Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge Audra Eckerle sided with Bevin Friday, agreeing Johnson did not have the authority to issue the warrant until the state’s chief justice rule.

“Thus, once Bevin made the motion to recuse her, Judge Johnson was prohibited from proceeding further on the merits of his case,” Eckerle wrote in her order.

The latest development in the case is centered around the legal battle between Bevin and his estranged son, Jonah Bevin, 19.

Jonah Bevin filed to intervene in the divorce case between Matt and Glenna Bevin in April 2025, asking for retroactive child support and financial assistance. Jonah alleges the Bevins, who adopted him as a child, later abandoned him at an abusive facility in Jamaica.

The state Court of Appeals ruled Jonah Bevin had a right to intervene in the case in October. As part of those proceedings, the Bevins were ordered to produce the records showing income, including bank statements and tax returns.

Glenna Bevin provided her financial documents, but the former governor missed a Tuesday’s deadline to provide the requested records and failed to appear in person for the hearing, as ordered by Johnson. Matt Bevin told Johnson he had to travel out of state for his ex-father-in-law’s funeral and was driving with several of their children.

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