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Kentucky Supreme Court

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Kentucky Supreme Court
State-Supreme-Courts-Ballotpedia-template.png
Court Information
Justices: 7
Founded: 1975
Location: Frankfort
Salary
Associates: $170,050[1]
Judicial Selection
Method: *Nonpartisan election
Term: 8 years
Active justices
Angela McCormick Bisig, Robert Conley, Pamela R. Goodwine, Michelle M. Keller, Debra Hembree Lambert, Christopher Nickell, Kelly Thompson

Founded in 1975, the Kentucky Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Debra Hembree Lambert.[2]

As of January 2025, one judge was appointed by a Democratic governor and six judges were initially selected in a nonpartisan election.

The court meets in the State Capitol building in Frankfort, Kentucky.[3]

In Kentucky, state supreme court justices are elected in nonpartisan elections. There are 13 states that use this selection method. To read more about the nonpartisan election of judges, click here.

Jurisdiction

The supreme court has appellate jurisdiction over appeals involving imprisonment for 20 years or more, life imprisonment, or the death penalty, with cases coming directly to the Kentucky Supreme Court from the circuit court level. The court may choose to hear oral arguments for these cases. The court also has appellate jurisdiction over lower court matters.[4]

The supreme court establishes rules and procedures for the Kentucky Court of Justice and Administrative Office of the Courts. It also establishes rules regarding the conduct and admission of attorneys into practice in the state.[5]

Justices

The table below lists the current judges of the Kentucky Supreme Court, their political party, when they assumed office, and the appointing governor.


Office Name Party Date assumed office Appointed by
Kentucky Supreme Court 1st District Christopher Nickell Nonpartisan December 11, 2019 Elected
Kentucky Supreme Court 2nd District Kelly Thompson Nonpartisan January 2, 2023
Kentucky Supreme Court 3rd District Debra Hembree Lambert Nonpartisan January 7, 2019 Elected
Kentucky Supreme Court 4th District Angela McCormick Bisig Nonpartisan January 2, 2023
Kentucky Supreme Court 5th District Pamela R. Goodwine Nonpartisan January 6, 2025
Kentucky Supreme Court 6th District Michelle M. Keller Nonpartisan April 3, 2013 Steve Beshear (D)
Kentucky Supreme Court 7th District Robert Conley Nonpartisan January 4, 2021 Elected

Justices of the Kentucky Supreme Court

Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Kentucky

The seven justices of the Kentucky Supreme Court are elected to eight-year terms in nonpartisan elections. They must run for re-election if they wish to serve subsequent terms.[6]

Qualifications

To serve on the Kentucky Supreme Court, the judge must be:

“
  • a citizen of the United States,
  • a resident of both the Commonwealth, and of the district from which he is elected for two years next preceding his taking office,
  • licensed to practice law in the courts of the Commonwealth, and
  • a licensed attorney for at least eight years.[7][8][9]
 ”

Chief justice

The chief justice of the court is chosen by peer vote. He or she serves in that capacity for four years.[6]

Vacancies

See also: How vacancies are filled in state supreme courts

If a midterm vacancy occurs, the governor appoints a successor from a list of three names provided by the Kentucky Judicial Nominating Commission. If the term the appointee will fill expires at the next election, the appointment is for the remainder of the term. If the term does not expire at the next election and that election is more than three months away, the appointee must stand for election, and the election is for the remainder of the unexpired term. If the term does not expire at the next election, but the election is less than three months away, the appointee must stand for election in the election following the next. The election is for the remainder of the unexpired term, if any; if none of the term is left, the election is for a full term.[6]

The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.


Elections

See also: Kentucky Supreme Court elections

2024

See also: Kentucky Supreme Court elections, 2024

The term of one Kentucky Supreme Court justice expired on January 5, 2025. The one seat was up for nonpartisan election on November 5, 2024. The primary election scheduled for May 21, 2024, was not needed after only two candidates filed for the one seat on the ballot. Both candidates advanced to the general election. The filing deadline was January 5, 2024.

Candidates and results

District 5

General election

General election for Kentucky Supreme Court 5th District

Pamela R. Goodwine defeated Erin Izzo in the general election for Kentucky Supreme Court 5th District on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Pamela R. Goodwine
Pamela R. Goodwine (Nonpartisan)
 
76.9
 
183,821
Image of Erin Izzo
Erin Izzo (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
23.1
 
55,085

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 238,906
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Pamela R. Goodwine and Erin Izzo advanced from the primary for Kentucky Supreme Court 5th District.

2022

See also: Kentucky Supreme Court elections, 2022

The terms of four Kentucky Supreme Court justices expired on January 1, 2023. The four seats were up for nonpartisan election on November 8, 2022.

Candidates and results

1st District: Nickell's seat

General election

General election for Kentucky Supreme Court 1st District

Incumbent Christopher Nickell won election in the general election for Kentucky Supreme Court 1st District on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Christopher Nickell
Christopher Nickell (Nonpartisan)
 
100.0
 
115,659

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 115,659
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Christopher Nickell advanced from the primary for Kentucky Supreme Court 1st District.

2nd District: Milton vacancy

General election

General election for Kentucky Supreme Court 2nd District

Kelly Thompson defeated Shawn Alcott in the general election for Kentucky Supreme Court 2nd District on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Kelly Thompson
Kelly Thompson (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
62.5
 
81,761
Image of Shawn Alcott
Shawn Alcott (Nonpartisan)
 
37.5
 
49,119

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 130,880
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Shawn Alcott and Kelly Thompson advanced from the primary for Kentucky Supreme Court 2nd District.

4th District: Hughes' vacancy

General election

General election for Kentucky Supreme Court 4th District

Angela McCormick Bisig defeated Jason Bowman in the general election for Kentucky Supreme Court 4th District on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Angela McCormick Bisig
Angela McCormick Bisig (Nonpartisan)
 
80.3
 
174,328
Image of Jason Bowman
Jason Bowman (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
19.7
 
42,645

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 216,973
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Angela McCormick Bisig and Jason Bowman advanced from the primary for Kentucky Supreme Court 4th District.

6th District: Keller's seat

General election

General election for Kentucky Supreme Court 6th District

Incumbent Michelle M. Keller defeated Joseph Fischer in the general election for Kentucky Supreme Court 6th District on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Michelle M. Keller
Michelle M. Keller (Nonpartisan)
 
54.8
 
87,292
Image of Joseph Fischer
Joseph Fischer (Nonpartisan)
 
45.2
 
71,911

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 159,203
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Nonpartisan primary election

The primary election was canceled. Incumbent Michelle M. Keller and Joseph Fischer advanced from the primary for Kentucky Supreme Court 6th District.

Justices not on the ballot


2020

See also: Kentucky Supreme Court elections, 2020

The term of one Kentucky Supreme Court justice expired on January 3, 2021. The one seat was up for nonpartisan election on November 3, 2020. A primary was scheduled for May 19, 2020.[10]

Candidates and results

Wright's seat

General election

General election for Kentucky Supreme Court 7th District

Robert Conley defeated Chris Harris in the general election for Kentucky Supreme Court 7th District on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Robert Conley
Robert Conley (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
55.5
 
90,636
Image of Chris Harris
Chris Harris (Nonpartisan)
 
44.5
 
72,691

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 163,327
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

Nonpartisan primary for Kentucky Supreme Court 7th District

Robert Conley and Chris Harris defeated incumbent Samuel T. Wright in the primary for Kentucky Supreme Court 7th District on June 23, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Robert Conley
Robert Conley (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
39.9
 
32,782
✔
Image of Chris Harris
Chris Harris (Nonpartisan)
 
30.2
 
24,807
Image of Samuel T. Wright
Samuel T. Wright (Nonpartisan)
 
29.8
 
24,470

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 82,059
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.


2019

See also: Kentucky Supreme Court elections, 2019
See also: Kentucky Supreme Court justice vacancy (January 2019)

On February 1, 2019, Justice Bill Cunningham retired from the Kentucky Supreme Court's 1st Division. A special election to fill Cunningham's unexpired term took place on November 5, 2019. The winner served the remainder of Cunningham's term, which expired in 2022.The candidate filing deadline was June 4, 2019.[11]

On February 4, 2019, Judge Christopher Nickell of the Kentucky Court of Appeals 1st Division 1 declared his candidacy for the seat.[11]

General election

Special general election for Kentucky Supreme Court 1st District

Christopher Nickell defeated Whitney Westerfield in the special general election for Kentucky Supreme Court 1st District on November 5, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Christopher Nickell
Christopher Nickell (Nonpartisan)
 
57.3
 
71,991
Image of Whitney Westerfield
Whitney Westerfield (Nonpartisan)
 
42.7
 
53,633

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 125,624
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

See also: Kentucky Supreme Court elections, 2018

Candidates and results

District 3: Venter vacancy

General election

General election

General election for Kentucky Supreme Court 3rd District

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Debra Hembree Lambert
Debra Hembree Lambert (Nonpartisan)
 
65.1
 
95,237
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Daniel Ballou (Nonpartisan)
 
34.9
 
51,075

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 146,312
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Primary election
■ Daniel Ballou Green check mark transparent.png
■ Debra Hembree Lambert Green check mark transparent.png
■ David A. Tapp

Justices not on the ballot

2016

Candidates

Deputy Chief Justice Mary Noble did not stand for re-election in 2016.[12]

■ Glenn Acree
■ Laurance VanMeter Green check mark transparent.png

Election results

November 8 general election results

Laurance VanMeter defeated Glenn Acree in the general election for Mary Noble's seat on the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Kentucky Supreme Court 2016 General Election, Mary Noble's Seat, 2016
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Laurance VanMeter 74.05% 178,720
Glenn Acree 25.95% 62,624
Total Votes (100% reporting) 241,344
Source: Kentucky Secretary of State Official Results

May 17 primary election results

Because there were only two candidates, they both advanced to the general election on November 8, 2016.

Kentucky Supreme Court, 2016 Primary, Mary Noble's Seat, 2016
Candidate
Green check mark transparent.png Glenn Acree
Green check mark transparent.png Laurance VanMeter

Appointments

2019

See also: Kentucky Supreme Court justice vacancy (January 2019)

Governor Matt Bevin (R) appointed David Buckingham to the Kentucky Supreme Court on March 27, 2019, following the retirement of Justice Bill Cunningham on January 31.[13][11] Buckingham was Bevin's first appointment to the seven-member court.

Bevin was critical of the state's highest court in late 2018 after a unanimous ruling struck down Senate Bill 151, which was an attempt to overhaul the state's pension system. Bevin said before that he wanted the state constitution amended to allow for the appointment rather than election of judges, and said that the justices of the court "don’t have the competence even to be a private practice attorney who can bill at a rate that people would not pay." Responding to the criticism of the court and calls for a change in the selection process, Cunningham said, "[I]t concerns me when we have governors and legislators who have such thin and shallow understanding of our constitutional system, and the separation of powers and the roles judges and courts play."[14]

Under Kentucky law, if there is a midterm vacancy on the state supreme court, the governor appoints a successor from a list of three names provided by the Kentucky Judicial Nominating Commission. The newly-appointed justice needed to run in the next statewide general election, which took place in 2019 to remain on the court.

Caseloads

The table below details the number of cases filed with the court and the number of dispositions (decisions) the court reached in each year. As of September 2024, data more recent than 2012 was not available online.

Kentucky Supreme Court caseload data
Year Filings Dispositions
2012 493 429
2011 504 463
2010 471 463
2009 471 567
2008 544 564
2007 580 591

Analysis

Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters (2021)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters

Ballotpedia Courts Determiners and Dissenters navigation ad.png In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: Determiners and Dissenters, a study on how state supreme court justices decided the cases that came before them. Our goal was to determine which justices ruled together most often, which frequently dissented, and which courts featured the most unanimous or contentious decisions.

The study tracked the position taken by each state supreme court justice in every case they decided in 2020, then tallied the number of times the justices on the court ruled together. We identified the following types of justices:

  • We considered two justices opinion partners if they frequently concurred or dissented together throughout the year.
  • We considered justices a dissenting minority if they frequently opposed decisions together as a -1 minority.
  • We considered a group of justices a determining majority if they frequently determined cases by a +1 majority throughout the year.
  • We considered a justice a lone dissenter if he or she frequently dissented alone in cases throughout the year.

Summary of cases decided in 2020

  • Number of justices: 7
  • Number of cases: 200
  • Percentage of cases with a unanimous ruling: 92.5%% (185)
  • Justice most often writing the majority opinion: Justice Michelle Keller (15)
  • Per curiam decisions: 129
  • Concurring opinions: 8
  • Justice with most concurring opinions: Justice Michelle Keller (3)
  • Dissenting opinions: 17
  • Justice with most dissenting opinions: Justice Laurance VanMeter (4) and Justice Michelle Keller (4) (4)

For the study's full set of findings in Kentucky, click here.

Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship (2020)

See also: Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship

Ballotpedia Courts State Partisanship navigation ad.png Last updated: June 15, 2020

In 2020, Ballotpedia published Ballotpedia Courts: State Partisanship, a study examining the partisan affiliation of all state supreme court justices in the country as of June 15, 2020.

The study presented Confidence Scores that represented our confidence in each justice's degree of partisan affiliation, based on a variety of factors. This was not a measure of where a justice fell on the political or ideological spectrum, but rather a measure of how much confidence we had that a justice was or had been affiliated with a political party. To arrive at confidence scores we analyzed each justice's past partisan activity by collecting data on campaign finance, past political positions, party registration history, as well as other factors. The five categories of Confidence Scores were:

  • Strong Democrat
  • Mild Democrat
  • Indeterminate[15]
  • Mild Republican
  • Strong Republican

We used the Confidence Scores of each justice to develop a Court Balance Score, which attempted to show the balance among justices with Democratic, Republican, and Indeterminate Confidence Scores on a court. Courts with higher positive Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Republican Confidence Scores, while courts with lower negative Court Balance Scores included justices with higher Democratic Confidence Scores. Courts closest to zero either had justices with conflicting partisanship or justices with Indeterminate Confidence Scores.[16]

Kentucky had a Court Balance Score of 0.29, indicating Split control of the court. In total, the study found that there were 15 states with Democrat-controlled courts, 27 states with Republican-controlled courts, and eight states with Split courts. The map below shows the court balance score of each state.

SSC by state.png


Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores (2012)

See also: Bonica and Woodruff campaign finance scores of state supreme court justices, 2012

In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan outlook of state supreme court justices in their paper, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns." A score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology while scores below 0 were more liberal. The state Supreme Court of Kentucky was given a campaign finance score (CFscore), which was calculated for judges in October 2012. At that time, Kentucky received a score of 0.17. Based on the justices selected, Kentucky was the 16th most conservative court. The study was based on data from campaign contributions by judges themselves, the partisan leaning of contributors to the judges, or—in the absence of elections—the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice but rather an academic gauge of various factors.[17]

Noteworthy cases

The following are noteworthy cases heard before the Kentucky Supreme Court. For a full list of opinions published by the court, click here. Know of a case we should cover here? Let us know by emailing us.

Beshear v. Acree (2020)

See also: Lawsuits about state actions and policies in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020-2021

Beshear v. Acree: On November 12, 2020, the Kentucky Supreme Court upheld Governor Andy Beshear’s (D) COVID-19 emergency orders. Writing on behalf of a unanimous court, Justice Lisabeth Tabor Hughes said, "The governor’s orders were, and continue to be, necessary to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of all Kentucky citizens." The court ruled that Beshear's actions were "consistent with decades of Kentucky precedent, which we will not overturn." In response to the ruling, Beshear said he was "grateful not for a win but for the safety of Kentuckians." Kentucky House Speaker David Osborne (R) said, "It appears that the court’s opinion provides further evidence of the great need to better define emergency powers granted by previous legislatures."[18]

The orders' challengers, three Northern Kentucky businesses, had argued that the governor's orders, including a statewide mask mandate and indoor occupancy restrictions, violated the state constitution and statutory rulemaking procedures. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) intervened on behalf of the plaintiffs. Boone County Circuit Court Judge Rick A. Brueggemann granted a temporary restraining order prohibiting enforcement of the orders. Following a subsequent loss at the appellate level, Beshear appealed to the state supreme court.[19]

Kentucky Supreme Court rules that guns are allowed on university grounds in vehicles (2012)

Frankfort, Kentucky: The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled that universities and colleges cannot enforce bans on guns on campus if the gun is stored in a vehicle.[20][21] The ruling has drawn criticism from some Kentucky universities, seven of which filed briefs supporting the University of Kentucky.[20] The ruling was based on state laws barring "organizations from prohibiting gun owners from carrying firearms in their vehicles."[20]

Kentucky Supreme Court declares state's entire education system unconstitutional (1989)

In 1989, the Kentucky Supreme Court declared that every child in the state has a right to an adequate, not just equal, education. The court also reaffirmed that the Kentucky General Assembly has the sole responsibility for creating and maintaining an efficient system of public schools.[22] In its opinion, the court declared that a constitutionally efficient school system is "one established and maintained by the General Assembly to be substantially uniform throughout the state, free to all Kentucky children, and one that provides equal educational opportunity regardless of place of residence or economic conditions."[22] Chief Justice Robert F. Stephens, author of the court's opinion in this case, wrote:

“ "Each child, every child in this Commonwealth must be provided with an equal opportunity to have an adequate education... The children of the poor and the children of the rich, the children who live in poor districts and the children who live in rich districts must be given the same opportunity and access to an adequate education."[22][9] ”

Noteworthy events

On May 12, 2023, Gov. Andy Beshear (D) appointed the following justices as special justices to the court:

  • Hon. Charles E. English of Bowling Green, representing the 2nd Supreme Court District.
  • Hon. T. Kelli Lester of Bowling Green, representing the 2nd Supreme Court District.
  • Hon. C. Michael Reynolds of Bowling Green, representing the 2nd Supreme Court District.
  • Hon. John Y. Brown III of Louisville, representing the 4th Supreme Court District.
  • Hon. Chadwick A. McTighe of Louisville, representing the 4th Supreme Court District.
  • Hon. Michael A. Wright of Louisville, representing the 4th Supreme Court District.

History of the court

The Kentucky state capitol in Frankfort, Kentucky, which houses the Kentucky Supreme Court

Kentucky's first constitution was implemented with the achievement of statehood in 1792. The highest court was the court of appeals, consisting of three justices with appellate jurisdiction over the judgments of lower courts, including justice of the peace courts that adjudicated civil disputes up to five pounds of currency. The court of appeals also had original jurisdiction over cases concerning land titles. The court consisted of three justices appointed by the governor. The state legislature controlled the organization and creation of the commonwealth's lower courts.[23]

After implementation of the second constitution in 1799, which left the courts largely unchanged, the legislature abolished district courts and instead created nine circuit court districts throughout the state, where a traveling three-judge court of appeals sat to hear cases valued up to five pounds of currency, general criminal cases, appeals from the other justice courts, and they were given original jurisdiction over land cases. Circuit courts became the primary trial court of general jurisdiction.[24]

The state's 1850 constitution subjected all judicial offices to partisan elections. The court of appeals also gained one justice, bringing the number of justices to four, and continued to be the highest court in the state. In 1882 the legislature created an intermediate court of appeals to hear the growing number of appeals cases after the establishment of a new criminal code in 1854. The court heard all appeals, except those dealing with felonies, the validity of statutes, land titles, right to franchise, or cases valued at more than $3,000, which remained the jurisdiction of the court of appeals. Circuit courts were abolished by the legislature in 1891, when the court of appeals was expanded from four to seven members. Justices were elected for eight-year terms.[25] In 1975 state voters passed the Kentucky Judicial Branch Restructuring Referendum (1975) completely replacing the judicial system that existed since 1891 to deal with a growing caseload and to account for changes in the nature of cases and the law. It created a supreme court with seven justices, a court of appeals, circuit courts, and district courts. The 1975 constitutional amendment provided the supreme court with limited appellate jurisdiction and made supreme court elections nonpartisan, district-based elections.[26]

Former justices

Noteworthy firsts

Courts in Kentucky

See also: Courts in Kentucky

In Kentucky, there are two federal district courts, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.

Click a link for information about that court type.

The image below depicts the flow of cases through Kentucky's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.

The structure of Kentucky's state court system.

Party control of Kentucky state government

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. A state supreme court plays a role in the checks and balances system of a state government.

Kentucky has a divided government where neither party holds a trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor, while the Republican Party controls both chambers of the state legislature.

See also

Kentucky Judicial Selection More Courts
Seal of Kentucky.png
Judicialselectionlogo.png
BP logo.png
Courts in Kentucky
Kentucky Court of Appeals
Kentucky Supreme Court
Elections: 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017
Gubernatorial appointments
Judicial selection in Kentucky
Federal courts
State courts
Local courts

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ The salary of the chief justice may be higher than an associate justice.
  2. ↑ Kentucky Court of Justice, "Supreme Court" accessed January 9, 2025
  3. ↑ Kentucky Court of Justice, "Supreme Court," accessed September 15, 2021
  4. ↑ Kentucky Court of Justice,"Supreme Court," accessed June 17, 2024
  5. ↑ Kentucky Court of Justice,"Supreme Court," accessed June 17, 2024
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection," accessed September 15, 2021
  7. ↑ Kentucky Board of Elections, "Candidate Qualifications," accessed March 31, 2023
  8. ↑ Kentucky Legislature, "Kentucky Constitution, Section 122," accessed June 1, 2015
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  10. ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "2020 Kentucky Election Calendar," accessed July 26, 2019
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Kentucky Today, "Veteran appeals judge seeks vacated seat on Ky. Supreme Court," February 4, 2019 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "retire" defined multiple times with different content
  12. ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, "Candidate Filings with the Office of the Secretary of State: Election: 2016 Primary Election," accessed January 26, 2016
  13. ↑ Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Bottom Line, "Gov. Matt Bevin makes an appointment to the Kentucky Supreme Court," March 27, 2019
  14. ↑ Louisville Courier Journal, "Matt Bevin could pick next Supreme Court justice to fill vacant seat," December 28, 2018
  15. ↑ An Indeterminate score indicates that there is either not enough information about the justice’s partisan affiliations or that our research found conflicting partisan affiliations.
  16. ↑ The Court Balance Score is calculated by finding the average partisan Confidence Score of all justices on a state supreme court. For example, if a state has justices on the state supreme court with Confidence Scores of 4, -2, 2, 14, -2, 3, and 4, the Court Balance is the average of those scores: 3.3. Therefore, the Confidence Score on the court is Mild Republican. The use of positive and negative numbers in presenting both Confidence Scores and Court Balance Scores should not be understood to that either a Republican or Democratic score is positive or negative. The numerical values represent their distance from zero, not whether one score is better or worse than another.
  17. ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
  18. ↑ Supreme Court of Kentucky, "Beshear v. Acree: Opinion," November 12, 2020
  19. ↑ Lexington Herald-Leader, "Kentucky Supreme Court rules Beshear’s COVID-19 restrictions are legal," November 12, 2020
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 The Courier Journal, "Kentucky Supreme Court says universities can't ban guns in staff, student vehicles on campuses," April 27, 2012
  21. ↑ LEX18, "Kentucky Supreme Court Rules Gun In Glove Box Legal On Campus," April 26, 2012
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 History of Education, "Kentucky Supreme Court declares entire education system unconstitutional," accessed December 26, 2014
  23. ↑ Brandeis School of Law,"History of the Courts of Kentucky," accessed June 17, 2024
  24. ↑ Brandeis School of Law,"History of the Courts of Kentucky," accessed June 17, 2024
  25. ↑ Brandeis School of Law,"History of the Courts of Kentucky," accessed June 17, 2024
  26. ↑ Kentucky Legislature,"Issues Confronting the 1976 General Assembly," accessed June 17, 2024
  27. ↑ Louis D. Brandeis School of Law, "Supreme Court Justices of Kentucky By District, 1976-2009," accessed December 27, 2014
  28. ↑ Courier-Journal.com, "'We have lost a good friend': Irreverent, trailblazing jurist dies after bout with cancer," August 25, 2007
  29. ↑ Capitol Words.org, 'In Honor Of Justice William E. Mcanulty, Jr.," September 18, 2007
  30. ↑ Kentucky Court of Justice, " Judge Sara Walter Combs," accessed June 3, 2014

Kentucky courts

Federal courts:

Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky

State courts:

Kentucky Supreme Court • Kentucky Court of Appeals • Kentucky Circuit Courts • Kentucky District Courts • Kentucky Family Court

State resources:

Courts in Kentucky • Kentucky judicial elections • Judicial selection in Kentucky


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