Former Greenfield resident Stephanie Pearce Burke has announced her candidacy for district judge of Jefferson's County's District 14 in Kentucky.

Burke, the daughter of Steve and Charlene Pearce, grew up in Greenfield. A 1987 graduate of the Edward Lee McClain High School, she was involved in a number of extracurricular activities as a teenager.

"She was active in everything," said Burke's father Steve Pearce, the owner and operator of The Letter Shop in Greenfield.

"Everything" included being the field commander of McClain's band, a member of the track team, a cheerleader during basketball seasons, and a member of National Honor Society. Burke started her political and legal career by serving as a lieutenant governor of the Youth In Government program as a member of Hi-Y.

"She's always been able to put her mind to something, and she sticks with it until she accomplishes it," said Pearce.

After graduating from high school, Burke entered college knowing that she wanted to earn her law degree, according to Pearce. She earned her B.A. in criminal justice/political science and her J.D. from Ohio Northern University and was admitted to the bar in Kentucky and Ohio in 1995.

Burke has earned esteem as a successful lawyer in Louisville, serving as prosecutor, district attorney, an advocate for children and abused women, and a family lawyer since she moved to the city in May 1994. She was recognized by Louisville Magazine as one of "Louisville's Top Trial Attorneys Under 40" in 2005. She is currently serving as the head of the Stephanie Pearce Burke, LLC private practice, a position she has held since 1996. Burke says she is one of very few women in Kentucky who is qualified to handle capital cases, and she has handled a variety of cases from minor traffic violations and offenses to capital murder trials.

In 2005, Burke founded the company Resolutions of Kentucky and the Cooperative Parenting Program, in which she provides mediation in high-conflict custody cases and disputes and has helped protect many children from being mistreated during their parents' divorces. She has also worked with the Kentucky Child Assault Prevention Program, The Center for Women and Families, and The Healing Place, and the Chance School, and she volunteers with Team Crusade/WHAS Crusade for Children, which raises money for special needs children, and Gilda's Club, which provides emotional support for cancer patients and their families.

"I've dedicated my career to representing the unfortunate," Burke said.

Burke is married to Dennis C. Burke, also an attorney, with whom she has two young sons, Aiden and Carey. She also has a step-daughter, Maria.

She has received endorsements from many labor organizations in the Louisville area, including auto workers and teachers.

According to Burke, judges in Kentucky are elected on a nonpartisan basis. This year, there are three candidates for district judge in the 14th district, so the three candidates will appear on each primary ballot on May 18. The Jefferson County district covers the Louisville metropolitan area of approximately 1.1 million people. The two candidates with the most votes in the primary election will vie for the district judge office on Nov. 2.

"I welcome anybody to get involved in my campaign," said Burke.

Information on Burke's campaign can be found at www.voteburkeforjudge.com, and Burke said that updates are posted regularly on her Facebook page, entitled Vote Burke For Judge.