Kentucky Supreme Court

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Kentucky Supreme Court
Court information
Justices:   7
Founded:   1975
Judicial selection
Method:   Non-partisan election of judges
Term:   8 years
Active justices

Bill Cunningham  •  Lisabeth Hughes Abramson  •  Mary Noble  •  Wil Schroder  •  Will Scott  •  John D. Minton, Jr.  •  Daniel Venters  •  

Former justices

Contents

The Kentucky Supreme Court is the court of last resort in Kentucky. Seven justices sit on the Supreme Court and all rule on appeals. In addition, the Supreme Court "establishes rules of practice and procedure for all Kentucky judges and attorneys."

Justices

Seven justices from seven districts create the Supreme Court.

The Kentucky Supreme Court has 7 justices.
JudgeTermAppointed byParty
Justice Bill Cunningham2006 - 2014
Justice Lisabeth Hughes Abramson2007-2014Ernie Fletcher
Deputy Chief Justice Mary Noble2006-2016
Justice Wil Schroder2006-2014
Justice Will Scott2004-2012
Chief Justice John D. Minton, Jr.2006-2014Ernie Fletcher
Justice Daniel Venters2008-2019Steve Beshear

Chief justice

The Chief Justice is elected by the other justices for four year terms. The Chief Justice serves in an administrative role over the courts. On May 12, 2008, John Minton was elected as the fifth Chief Justice of Kentucky. "I am honored by the vote of my colleagues," said Justice Minton in response to being elected chief justice. "I look forward to working with the members of the Court and the Court of Justice family in service to the citizens of the Commonwealth." "Justice Minton is an outstanding scholar and a person of unquestioned integrity," said former Chief Justice Lambert. "His experience serving as a judge for three levels of Kentucky courts equips him well to be an outstanding chief justice. I am delighted with his election."[1]

Jurisdiction

All appeals involving imprisonment for 20 years or more, life imprisonment, or the death penalty go directly to the Supreme Court; all other appeals are heard by the lower courts, and are only permitted to be heard by the Supreme Court if the Court of Appeals consents.[2]

Judicial selection

Justices are elected for eight year terms in non-partisan elections.

Qualifications

For the position of Supreme Court justice, which is an eight year staggered term, 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.[3] The candidate must file with the Secretary of State and the filing fee is $200.00.

Removal of justices

"Kentucky judges may be removed in one of two ways:

  • After notice and hearing, the judicial conduct commission may admonish, reprimand, censure, suspend, retire, or remove a judge. The commission's decisions are subject to review by the supreme court.
  • Judges may be impeached by the house of representatives and convicted by a two-thirds vote of the senate."[4]

Caseloads

Please note: These numbers include statewide criminal and civil appeals.

Fiscal Year Civil appeal filings Criminal appeal filings Civil appeal closings Criminal appeal closings
2010 255 216 244 219
2009 265 206 287 280
2008 282 262 329 235
2007 323 257 342 249
2006 392 259 425 295
2005 415 299 424 387
2004 407 330 493 341
2003 501 335 501 420

[5]

Salaries

The Chief Justice and the associate justices of the Kentucky Supreme Court make $135,504 annually, as of January 2010.[6][7]

Notable decisions

History of the court

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

The Supreme Court of Kentucky was created with a constitutional amendment in 1975, releasing the burden from the role that the Kentucky Court of Appeals had had.[8] The court meets in a courtroom located on the second floor of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort. The second floor of the capitol building is also home to offices for the justices and Supreme Court personnel.

Notable firsts

See also

External links

References

KentuckyKentucky Supreme CourtKentucky Court of AppealsKentucky Circuit CourtsKentucky District CourtsKentucky Family CourtUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of KentuckyUnited States District Court for the Western District of KentuckyUnited States bankruptcy court, Eastern District of KentuckyUnited States bankruptcy court, Western District of KentuckyUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth CircuitKentucky countiesKentucky judicial newsKentucky judicial electionsJudicial selection in Kentucky
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