> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.shayinformed.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Louisville family court judge agrees to suspension after misconduct findings - URL: https://www.shayinformed.com/louisville-family-court-judge-agrees-to-suspension-after-misconduct-findings/ - Published: 2026-10-26T17:18:18.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-26T17:18:45.000Z - Author: Shay McAlister - Tags: Covering Kentucky The Judicial Conduct Commission says Judge Lauren Ogden failed to uphold due process, impartiality, and courtroom decorum in multiple cases. --- *I'm Shay McAlister, and this is Shay Informed: an independent, ad-free platform dedicated to honest journalism with compassion and clarity.* *Are you new here?* [*Sign up*](https://www.shayinformed.com/#/portal/signup) *for the free weekly newsletter or subscribe to support the mission and access in-depth investigations, exclusive interviews, and podcasts reserved for paid subscribers.* --- In Kentucky, family court is private. Media aren’t allowed inside, which makes oversight difficult. For most people, what happens in a hearing is known only to the parties, their attorneys, and the judge. Even when I get calls about alleged misconduct, I have nowhere to turn to look at what happened, because I don't have access to the records. That’s what makes a new order from the Judicial Conduct Commission so significant. It offers a detailed look at what the commission says happened in Louisville Family Court Judge Lauren Adams Ogden’s courtroom. Ogden will be suspended without pay for 30 days, according to an Agreed Order of Suspension dated October 26, 2026\. The commission found she violated the Code of Judicial Conduct in multiple cases. ## What the commission found The commission says it received numerous complaints, “comprehensively reviewed all video and written records,” and concluded Ogden committed misconduct in office. The order lists seven violations: failing to perform judicial duties competently, failing to comply with the law, failing to uphold the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, failing to apply the law fairly and impartially, failing to perform duties without bias or prejudice, failing to give every person the right to be heard, and failing to uphold order and decorum. The order also describes a series of cases. In one case, the order says Ogden changed sole custody on her own motion, without proper notice or due process. It says she did not let the father’s attorney cross-examine witnesses and did not make the required best-interest findings before ordering the mother to take immediate custody of the child in the courtroom. In another case, the commission says she issued a domestic violence order without sufficient findings of fact, allowed no documentary evidence in the record, and did not let the man against whom the order was sought introduce evidence. The order quotes her as saying, “the standard is very low. I just have to decide who to believe." The order notes the Court of Appeals later vacated that order. In a third case, the order quotes an October 13, 2025 Court of Appeals decision saying Ogden “blatantly violated a parent’s due process rights.” In yet another case, the order says Ogden suspended a father’s unsupervised parenting time with his three children without sufficient findings of endangerment. The Court of Appeals reversed that decision but the commission says she refused to reinstate his time in five separate hearings, and did not restore the previous schedule until six months after the appellate mandate. In a separate case, the order says she should have recused herself based on comments she made in a related domestic violence proceeding involving the same parties. It says she denied the recusal motion without a hearing or explanation, and the Kentucky Supreme Court had to order her recusal. ## Demeanor and courtroom control The order also cites her behavior in court. The commission says that in two cases she rolled her eyes, smirked, and said “wow” in response to testimony. In one of them, it says she laughed at a father and his lawyer while they spoke, and whispered questions to opposing counsel while the father and his lawyer were on Zoom and couldn’t hear. In a case involving a defendant on Zoom, the order says Ogden muted him after several interruptions, scoffed when he unmuted himself, and told him, “we are going to have you sit in the corner and be quiet.” In that same case, it says she told one party she was “shocked” the defendant was in the military, said she would order a full psychiatric evaluation without any basis in the record, and told a frustrated party she did not “want the whining.” The order also says she ate and texted during the proceedings. In another case, the commission says she abruptly ended a hearing with “I’m done” and “This is crazy.” ## Judge Ogden's response The commission says it weighed Ogden’s response in setting the sanction. According to the order, she acknowledged the concerns and accepted responsibility for the administration of her courtroom and docket. She has made changes meant to ensure everyone, including people without lawyers, gets a full chance to be heard, the order says. It adds that the changes also aim to ensure the record reflects the basis for her decisions and that Court of Appeals rulings are carried out promptly and completely. ## What comes next The order says Ogden “has waived formal proceedings and agrees to the entry of this Order.” The suspension runs from midnight on November 8 until 11:59 p.m. on December 8, the order states. During that time, Ogden must refrain from performing the duties of her office, may not use court resources, and may not appear at the Jefferson County Judicial Center. She must also complete an educational course on proper conduct of hearings and due process within six months of the order, at her own expense and with the commission’s prior approval. The order says she may take the course during her suspension. *Like what you see? Learn more about Shay Informed* [*here*](https://www.shayinformed.com/welcome-to-shay-informed/)*! This is honest journalism with compassion and clarity.*