Former Senate President David Williams has filed candidacy papers to seek election to the judicial seat Gov. Steve Beshear appointed him to last year.
Williams, a Republican, filed the papers last week.
Beshear, a Democratic, appointed Williams circuit judge in the 40th District of southern Kentucky in October 2012 even though the two had been longtime political rivals.
Williams regularly opposed Beshear's legislative initiatives and challenged him for governor in 2011 in a vitriolic race that reflected an intense dislike for each other.
Beshear has a history of appointing Republicans to more lucrative government positions to get them out of the Legislature. He previously appointed Senate GOP Floor Leader Dan Kelly circuit judge and named Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee Chairman Charlie Borders to the Public Service Commission.