Phillip Page is seeking election as Daviess District Court, Division 2 judge, saying his varied legal background and willingness to fully commit to the role set him apart in a crowded field.
Page previously ran for District judge in 2022, and he said this year’s race builds on both his past campaign and the additional experience he has accumulated since then.
“I bring, in my opinion, the most varied amount of experience to the bench and the most availability,” Page said. “That’s really what I’ve been focusing on this time.”
Earlier this year, Page was one of three attorneys submitted to Gov. Andy Beshear as finalists for an appointment to a different District Court vacancy. Though he was not selected, he said the process affirmed his readiness for the role and strengthened his resolve to pursue the elected seat.
Page currently serves as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney, a role he began on October 16, 2025. His primary responsibility is managing the County’s “rocket docket,” which focuses on quickly resolving felony drug cases by connecting defendants with treatment opportunities.
“What I do is speak with the defense attorneys and their clients, and I pair them up with a treatment idea and a general plan,” he said. “If they waive their preliminary hearing, I send them upstairs to circuit court, where they’ll plead guilty and go into treatment.”
He said speeding up treatment placement is crucial because delays can push people back into addiction-related cycles.
“I see repeat offenders who wanted to be in treatment, were assessed for it, and needed it,” he said. “But if it doesn’t happen with some kind of speed, the process breaks down and they recycle through the system.”
In addition to the rocket docket, Page also serves as second chair on major circuit court prosecutions — including homicide, arson, rape, and organized crime cases. He moves into the lead prosecutor role when needed, handling motions, research, discovery, and trial preparation.
Before joining the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, Page served as the staff attorney for Family Court Judge Jennifer Hendricks. There, he handled mediation, research, and order drafting, often helping families settle disputes outside the courtroom. He also previously prosecuted juvenile cases, giving him direct experience in both District and Family Courts.
If elected, Page said he wants to help address Daviess County’s overlapping issues involving substance abuse, mental health challenges, and violent crime. He said his experience working directly with treatment-linked felony cases gives him insight into how delays can destabilize families and burden the court system.
He said he believes District judges play a key role in whether defendants quickly access the help they need.
“I’m trying to identify issues and make it efficient on the criminal side to get people into treatment and the help they need within the laws,” he said.
Page said one of his core motivations is his belief that a District judge must treat the position as a constant public duty. He compared the role to law enforcement or military service, saying the judge’s identity becomes secondary to the responsibility of the office.
“Judges, in my opinion, are like police officers in that they lose a bit of their identity because they are committed to that position,” he said. “They need to be there Monday through Friday, 8 to 4. They need to be on call day or night.”
He said the county recently experienced the challenges of not having fully available judges, noting that two District divisions were filled for more than a year by visiting judges who were not responsible for after-hours duties such as emergency orders, warrants, or commitments.
“There should have been a District Court judge there to sign those things, and they weren’t,” he said. “Availability matters.”
Page said that if elected, he intends to bring consistency, accessibility, and a sense of duty shaped by his military service, legal career, and community work.
“That’s the sacrifice,” he said. “That’s the job. And that’s what the position calls for.”
Page, originally from northeast Ohio, moved to Owensboro in 2015 after marrying his wife. He said that while he is not a native of Daviess County, he has built deep and lasting ties to the community.
Page has served on the board of the Oasis Domestic Violence Shelter since October 2019. He has also served on the board of the H.L. Neblett Community Center since 2018 and is currently its vice president. His community involvement also includes participating in Dancing With Our Stars, Lip Sync Battle, and seasonal productions with Bellevue Baptist Church.
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