Kentucky Court of Appeals

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Kentucky Court of Appeals
Court information
Judges:	14
Judicial selection
Method:	Partisan election of judges
Term:	8 years
Active judges
Sara Combs  •  Janet Stumbo  •  Joy Moore  •  Glenn Acree  •  Laurance VanMeter  •  Denise Clayton  •  James Lambert  •  Michael Caperton  •  Kelly Thompson  •  Jeff Taylor  •  Donna Dixon  •  Christopher Nickell  •  Irv Maze  •

The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the intermediate appellate court in Kentucky. Prior to a 1975 amendment to the Kentucky Constitution that created the Kentucky Supreme Court, the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in the state.

The court consists of 14 members who serve eight year terms. The Court normally sits in 3 judge panels, with membership in the panels rotating so all judges sit on at least one panel with each of their colleagues every year. The court is headquartered in Frankfort, but the 3 judge panels hear cases in courtrooms throughout the state.

Judges

Judge	Term	Division	Appointed by	Party
Judge Sara Combs	1994-2014	7th District, 1st Division	Gov. Brereton Jones
Judge Janet Stumbo	2007-2014	7th District, 2nd Division	n/a
Judge Joy Moore	2007-2014	6th District, 2nd Division	n/a
Judge Glenn Acree	2006-2014	5th District, 2nd Division	Gov. Ernie Fletcher
Judge Laurance VanMeter	2004-2014	5th District, 1st Division	n/a
Judge Denise Clayton	2007-2017	4th District, 2nd Division	Gov. Ernie Fletcher
Judge James Lambert	2007-2014	3rd District, 2nd Division	n/a
Judge Michael Caperton	2008-2016	3rd District, 1st Division	n/a
Judge Kelly Thompson	2007-2014	2nd District, 2nd Division	n/a
Chief Judge Jeff Taylor	2004-2014	2rd District, 1st Division	n/a
Judge Donna Dixon	2006-2016	1st District, 2nd Division	n/a
Judge Christopher Nickell	2007-2014	1st District, 1st Division	n/a
Judge Irv Maze	2012-present	4th District	Gov. Steve Beshear

Chief judge

The 14 members of the Court of Appeals select one colleague to serve as Chief judge for a 4 year term. The Chief judge assigns judges and cases to panels.

Judicial selection

Two members are selected from each of the seven appellate court districts. Prior to 1976, judges were elected on a partisan ballot. A law passed in 1976 mandates that judicial elections in Kentucky be non-partisan. According to the Kentucky Constitution, "All terms commence on the first Monday in January next succeeding the regular election for the office".

Qualifications

To qualify to run for position of Judge of the Court of Appeals, the candidate must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of both the Commonwealth, and of the district from which he is elected for 2 years next preceding his taking office and licensed to practice law in the courts of the Commonwealth and a licensed attorney for at least 8 years. The candidate must file with the Secretary of State and the filing fee is $200.00.

Removal of judges

Any judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals can be removed by the Judicial Conduct Commission. The Commission is composed of the following:

• One judge of the Court of Appeals (selected by that court)
• One District Court judge
• One Circuit Court judge
• One member of the Kentucky Bar Association
• Two persons appointed by the Governor who are not judges or attorneys

Any individual or group may file a complaint against a sitting judge for possible judicial misconduct or wrongdoing.

Alternatively, judges can also be impeached by the House of Representatives and convicted by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.

Jurisdiction

Appellate Court Districts

The Kentucky Court of Appeals hears appeals from District and Circuit courts. When losing parties are unsatisfied with the trial court's decision, they can seek review from the Court of Appeals. Cases are not retried by the Court of Appeals, instead the original trial is reviewed and attorneys present legal issues to the Court for a decision.

Criminal case acquittals and divorces can not be appealed, however, child custody and property rights decisions in divorce cases can be appealed.

Cases involving death sentences, life imprisonment, or imprisonment of 20 or more years are appealed directly to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Original actions can be filed with the Kentucky Court of Appeals under certain situations.

Court of Appeals District	Counties Served
First District	Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman, Fulton, Graves, McCracken, Calloway, Marshall, Livingston, Crittenden, Lyon, Caldwell, Trigg, Webster, Hopkins, McLean, Muhlenberg, Butler, Edmonson, Christian, Todd, Logan, Simpson and Allen
Second District	Union, Henderson, Daviess, Hancock, Ohio, Breckinridge, Meade, Bullitt, Hardin, Grayson, Larue, Hart, Warren and Barren
Third District	Nelson, Washington, Marion, Green, Taylor, Casey, Adair, Metcalfe, Russell, Monroe, Cumberland, Clinton, Lincoln, Garrard, Rockcastle, Jackson, Lee, Estill, Pulaski, Laurel, Clay, Leslie, Wayne, McCreary, Whitley, Knox and Bell
Fourth District	Jefferson
Fifth District	Anderson, Franklin, Scott, Woodford, Fayette, Bourbon, Mercer, Boyle, Jessamine, Clark and Madison
SIxth District	Oldham, Trimble, Carroll, Gallatin, Boone, Kenton, Campbell, Pendleton, Spencer, Shelby, Henry, Owen, Grant, Harrison, Bracken, Mason, Robertson, Nicholas, Fleming, Bath and Lewis
Seventh District	Montgomery, Powell, Menifee, Rowan, Carter, Greenup, Elliott, Boyd, Lawrence, Wolfe, Morgan, Magoffin, Johnson, Martin, Floyd, Owsley, Breathitt, Perry, Knott, Pike, Harlan, Letcher

External links

• Website of the Kentucky Court of Appeals
• Office of the Clerk of the Appeals Court of Kentucky
• Kentucky Court of Appeals Searchable Opinions
• Kentucky Court of Appeals Oral Arguments Calendar
• Kentucky Court of Appeals Minutes
• Kentucky Court of Appeals Monthly Case Summary Reports
• Kentucky Appellate Court Briefs

References

2012

See also: Kentucky judicial elections, 2012

To organize the columns, click on the arrows in the column heading.

Candidate	Incumbency	Primary Vote	Election Vote
MazeIrv Maze	No	40%	50.79%
ShakeJim Shake	No	38%	49.21%
Cox PenceRuth Ann Cox Pence	No	22%