 The Republican minor officeholders returned to the state courts with their case . Franklin County circuit court justice James E. Cantrill ruled against them , and the Kentucky Court of Appeals , then the state 's court of last resort , sustained Cantrill 's ruling by a vote of 4 – 3 . Republican Attorney General Clifton J. Pratt continued with legal challenges and finally was allowed to serve out his term . Though Cantrill 's decision was based on the invalidation of Louisville 's vote and the votes of four counties in eastern Kentucky , none of the legislators from those areas were unseated . 
