Draft:T. J. Roberts (politician)

Theadore Joseph Roberts (born February 23, 1998) is an American politician and Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from Kentucky's 66th House district since January 2025. His district comprises part of Boone County.

Early life and education
Born in Boone County, Roberts graduated from Boone County High School before earning a Bachelor of Arts from Transylvania University in 2019. He went on to obtain a Juris Doctor from Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 2023.

Roberts v. Neace
In April 2020, Roberts alongside two other plaintiffs attended Easter services at Maryville Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Shortly thereafter, the attendees received a notice from state officials that their attendance was in violation of executive orders issued by Governor Andy Beshear in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to prohibit most mass gatherings as well as traveling in or out of the state. This notice warned Roberts and the other plaintiffs of future enforcement measures should they continue to violate these orders, including misdemeanor charges. In response, Roberts and the other plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky against Boone County Attorney Robert Neace, Acting Secretary of Health and Family Services Eric Friedlander, and Governor Beshear contending that the orders prohibiting religious gatherings and interstate travel were unconstitutional.

Following injunctions to halt the enforcement of these measures, additional executive orders were issued by Governor Beshear to allow for interstate travel and religious gatherings.

Elections

 * 2024 Incumbent Steve Rawlings chose to run for Kentucky's 11th Senate district. Roberts won the 2024 Republican primary with 3,365 votes (74.2%) against former 66th House district representative C. Ed Massey and won the 2024 Kentucky House of Representatives election with XXX votes (XX.X%) against Democratic candidate Peggy Houston-Nienaber.