Kentucky Supreme Court elections, 2019
- Primary: May 21
- General election: Nov. 5
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 7
- Early voting: N/A
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 5
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo or non-photo ID required
- Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
| 2019 Election Dates | |
|---|---|
| Deadline to file candidacy | |
| June 4, 2019 | |
| General election | |
| November 5, 2019 | |
| 2019 State Judicial Elections | |
|---|---|
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| Overview | |
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A special election was called for November 5, 2019, to replace Bill Cunningham on the Kentucky Supreme Court. Cunningham resigned from the State Supreme Court on January 31, 2019. His term was set to expire in January 2023. A full term on the court is eight years. Kentucky's nonpartisan judicial elections take place during its general elections. These are usually held in even-numbered years but can be held in odd-numbered years.[1][2]
Christopher Nickell won election in the special general election for Kentucky Supreme Court 1st District.
Candidates
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 | ||
| ✔ |  | Christopher Nickell (Nonpartisan) | 57.3 | 71,991 |
 | Whitney Westerfield (Nonpartisan) | 42.7 | 53,633 | |
| Total votes: 125,624 | |||
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About the Kentucky Supreme Court
- See also: Kentucky Supreme Court
The Kentucky Supreme Court is composed of seven justices who are elected in nonpartisan elections by voters. A full term on the court is eight years. Kentucky's nonpartisan judicial elections take place during its general elections. These are usually held in even-numbered years but can be held in odd-numbered years.
Political composition
This is the political composition of the Kentucky Supreme Court heading into the 2019 election. Justices in Kentucky are elected by voters; for a midterm vacancy, the governor appoints a judge, who then must stand for election by voters in a forthcoming general election.
Chief Justice John D. Minton, Jr. and Justice Lisabeth Tabor Hughes were appointed by Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher. Justice Michelle Keller was appointed by Democratic Governor Steve Beshear. Justices Debra Hembree Lambert, Laurance VanMeter, and Samuel T. Wright III were elected without appointment.
| ■ John D. Minton, Jr. | Appointed by Ernie Fletcher (R) in 2006 | |
| ■ Lisabeth Tabor Hughes | Appointed by Ernie Fletcher (R) in 2007 | |
| ■ Michelle Keller | Appointed by Steve Beshear (D) in 2013 | |
| ■ Vacant | Vacancy created by Bill Cunningham's resignation | |
| ■ Debra Hembree Lambert | Elected in 2018 | |
| ■ Laurance VanMeter | Elected in 2016 | |
| ■ Samuel T. Wright III | Elected in 2015 |
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Kentucky
Justices are elected for eight-year terms in nonpartisan elections. 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.[3]
Qualifications
For the position of supreme court justice, the candidate must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of both the Commonwealth and of the district from which he or she is elected for at least two years immediately prior to taking office. He or she must be licensed to practice law in the courts of the Commonwealth for at least eight years before becoming eligible to serve on the court.[4] The candidate must file with the Kentucky Secretary of State's Office, and the filing fee is $200.00.
State profile
- See also: Kentucky and Kentucky elections, 2019
Partisan data
The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019
Presidential voting pattern
- Kentucky voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2018 elections, both U.S. Senators from Kentucky were Republican.
- Kentucky had one Democratic and five Republican U.S. Representatives.
State executives
- Democrats held two and Republicans held five of Kentucky's 14 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
- Kentucky's governor was Republican Matt Bevin.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled the Kentucky State Senate with a 29-9 majority.
- Republicans controlled the Kentucky House of Representatives with a 61-39 majority.
Kentucky Party Control: 1992-2025
Eight years of Democratic trifectas • Three years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
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| Demographic data for Kentucky | ||
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 4,424,611 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 39,486 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 87.6% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 7.9% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.3% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.1% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 3.3% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 84.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 22.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $43,740 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 22.7% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Kentucky. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Kentucky judicial election' OR 'Kentucky court election' OR 'Kentucky election 2019'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ WKMS, "Bill Cunningham Discusses His Upcoming Retirement," January 17, 2019
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Candidate Filings with the Office of the Secretary of State: 2019 Primary Election," accessed June 5, 2019
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Kentucky," accessed March 7, 2017
- ↑ Kentucky Secretary of State, "Candidate qualifications," accessed June 2, 2014
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
