LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A judge will rule on whether Kentucky Republican Attorney General candidate Daniel Cameron is qualified to run for the office.
Teams of lawyers filled a courtroom Monday for a hearing over whether Cameron should be on the ballot for the Nov. 5 election.
Joseph Jackson, of Louisville, filed suit claiming Cameron has not been a practicing attorney for the required eight years. Jackson also claims the two years Cameron spent working as a federal law clerk do not count.
In court Monday, Cameron's attorney disagreed with the accusations and says the case is about politics.
"Don't let anybody fool you," said Cameron, "this is the workings of Greg Stumbo. He's desperate, this is a political ploy. There's no question about that."
Cameron's Democratic opponent, Greg Stumbo, who previously served as Kentucky's Attorney General, has made an issue of Cameron's relative inexperience. However, Jackson's attorney, Ben Gastel, says this isn't about politics.
"As far as I know, my candidate has never met Mr. Stumbo," said Gastel. "This case is about the legal merits of his (Cameron's) career as a lawyer and whether or not he meets Section 92's requirements that he be a practicing lawyer for eight years before the election."
Cameron testified that he received his law license October 2011. He then started a federal clerkship in September 2011, before getting his license.
Cameron's attorney, Sheryl Snyder, argued the state's Constitution is ambiguous regarding the rules for becoming Attorney General. He said Cameron has had a license for more than eight years and his time as a clerk should count as time practicing law.
During the hearing Gastel questioned Cameron about his clerkship and his past clients.
Cameron said while working as a clerk, he was given permission from his judge to do pro bono work drafting a will for his father. He also says that was the only pro bono work he completed as a clerk.
Gastel argued that during Cameron's clerkship, the judge he clerked for did not count as a client, which meant he was not a practicing lawyer during that time. Gastel also argued that the federal clerkship handbook says as a clerk, you cannot practice law.
A representative from the Board of Elections was also present during the hearing.
Judge Barry Willett will decide if Cameron's name should appear on the general election ballot Nov. 5. A decision was not made Monday, but Willett said he will expedite the order and it will be sent by email to both sides. It's not clear when a decision will be announced.
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