09/24/2025
SPECIAL REPORT TikTok Video Gets Lawyer in Trouble
A Pulaski County Attorney's TikTok video, expressing her irritation at being in a McCreary County Courtroom "surrounded by pictures of the old, yt (white) male judges" and musically lamenting the "current old, yt (white) male judge," has landed her in hot water.
The Honorable Judge Dan Ballou, Chief Circuit Judge for the 34th Judicial Circuit, including McCreary and Whitley Counties, laid down the law for Somerset, KY attorney, Kerri Bartley of the Bartley Law Office. In an administrative order entered on September 22, 2025, Judge Ballou prohibited Attorney Kerri Bartley from using and possessing all electronic devices, including cell phones, computers, and any other device capable of recording video and/or audio, photographing, filming, or recording audio and or/visual, in an on the premises of the McCreary County Courthouse and Whitley County Judicial Center. All areas within the interior and exterior walls of the buildings up to public sidewalks, the employee parking lot, maintenance area, and sally port of the McCreary County Courthouse are included in the ban. Public sidewalks are not included.
According to the order, Attorney Kerri Bartley appeared in McCreary Circuit Court on August 25, 2025, and "for some bizarre and inexplicable reason chose to make a childish, unprofessional, disrespectful, belligerent, immature, and extraordinarily arrogant video IN THE COURTROOM, and posted said video on social media."
According to the order, the prohibition was ordered out of the Court's concern with court decorum, professionalism, good order and discipline of the Bar, secuity, protection of private conversations including, but not limit to, Attorney Client privilege, and prevention of unnecessary childish drama within the McCreary County Courthouse and the Whitley County Judicial Center, and finding it necessary to provide a secure, orderly, professional and productive facility for the purpose of conducting court business, and prevention of turning the Court of Justice into Romper Room.
The Order further states that any violation of the Order may be the basis for Attorney Kerri Bartley being removed from the McCreary County Courthouse and Whitley County Judicial Center and/or a finding of Contempt.
The Order is to be conspicuously posted at the security desks of both buildings and security personnel apprised of the Order. The Order was distributed to local Judges, Commonwealth Attorney, McCreary and Whitley County Attorneys, and local and state police.
The Journal will have more details in next week's issue.
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