Kentucky Supreme Court

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The Kentucky Supreme Court was created by a 1975 constitutional amendment. Prior to that the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky. The Kentucky Court of Appeals is now Kentucky's intermediate appellate court.

The Kentucky Supreme Court has seven justices, each of whom is elected for an eight year term from one of seven geographic districts. The justices' terms are staggered; they do not all run for election in the same years. The justices choose one of their number to serve a four year term as chief justice. The court meet in a courtroom located in the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort.

Appeals involving a death sentence, a life sentence or any sentence of more than twenty years go directly to the Kentucky Supreme Court, bypassing the Kentucky Court of Appeals. Other appeals are heard on a discretionary basis on appeal from the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

The Kentucky Supreme Court promulgates the Rules of Court and Rules of Evidence and is the final arbiter for bar admissions and discipline.

Judicial elections in Kentucky were on a partisan ballot until a 1976 statute made them non-partisan elections.

In the event that two or more justices of the Kentucky Supreme Court recuse themselves from a case, the Governor of Kentucky appoints Special Justices to sit for that particular case.

The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), under the aegis of the Kentucky Supreme Court, serves as the administrative support agency for Kentucky courts and Circuit Court Clerks. The role of the AOC is similar to that of the Legislative Research Commission (LRC) for the Kentucky General Assembly.

The current Justices are: Chief Justice Lambert, Justice Roach, Justice John Minton, Justice William McAnulty, Justice Will T. Scott, Justice William Graves, and Justice Donald Wintersheimer. All but two of the seven seats were up for election/reelection in November 2006. In that election, Mary Noble was elected to replace John Roach, who had been appointed by Governor Ernie Fletcher to fill the unexpired term of Justice James Keller. Justices John Minton and William McAnulty were elected to full terms (they had been appointed to fill the unexpired terms of William Cooper and Martin Johnstone, respectively, who retired with time remaining in their terms). Will Cunningham was elected to replace William Graves and Wil Schroder was elected to replace Donald Wintersheimer; both Graves and Wintersheimer will retire at the end of their terms.