Opinion ID: 2277556
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Remand for Further Proceedings is Necessary.

Text: For the reasons we have discussed at some length in this opinion, we agree with Fox that § 93 permits only the Senate to confirm nominees. So the bicameral confirmation requirement set forth in KRS 164.011(1) is invalid, even taking into account the presumption of constitutionality generally afforded to statutes. [92] This conclusion does not necessarily mean, however, that Fox is entitled to return to her seat on the CPE. As stated before, this case was early in the pleading stage when the trial court granted the Governor's motion to dismiss for failure to state a legally cognizable claim. Our conclusion that bicameral confirmation requirements in statutes such as KRS 164.011(1) are constitutionally infirm, however, leads to the inevitable conclusion that the trial court erred by dismissing Fox's complaint based upon its contrary interpretation of § 93. The ultimate merits of Fox's complaint, however, are an entirely separate matter, which the parties have not yet had a full opportunity to either prove or defend. The only proper question before us is whether the trial court erred by dismissing Fox's complaint for failure to state a claim because of the purported bicameral confirmation requirement for members of the CPE. We have determined that the attempted bicameral confirmation requirement is contrary to § 93 of the Constitution of Kentucky. The merits of Fox's demand that she be restored to a place on the CPE were not fully presented to the trial court and, consequently, are not properly before this Court on appeal. Remand is necessary so that the parties may present their proof to advance or defend the ultimate merits of Fox's demand.