Current:Home > MarketsKentucky’s Supreme Court will soon have a woman at its helm for the first time-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
Kentucky’s Supreme Court will soon have a woman at its helm for the first time
View Date:2024-12-24 00:33:52
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — For the first time, Kentucky’s Supreme Court will have a woman at its helm, after justices on Monday selected Debra Hembree Lambert to serve as the next chief justice.
Lambert, who is currently the deputy chief justice, will serve a four-year term at the top of the judicial system beginning Jan. 6, court officials announced.
“While it may be notable that I will be the first woman to serve as chief justice in Kentucky, I am most proud to be a small-town kid from the mountains of eastern Kentucky who has had a lot of support and encouragement along the way,” Lambert said.
She will succeed Laurance B. VanMeter as chief justice. VanMeter opted not to seek reelection this year.
The state Supreme Court has four men and three women as justices. Lambert said she’s honored to have been chosen by her colleagues and said it’s not easy leading the state’s judicial branch.
“Our judges, clerks and administrative employees handle large dockets and special programs with great efficiency,” she said.
VanMeter praised his soon-to-be successor as a hard-working and dedicated judge with more than 17 years of experience on the bench, including as a judge in family court and on the state Court of Appeals.
“I am confident that Chief Justice-elect Lambert will lead the judicial branch with integrity and ensure the efficient and fair administration of justice,” said VanMeter, who assumed the role of chief justice at the start of 2023.
Lambert was elected as a Supreme Court justice in 2018, and her district includes portions of eastern, southern and central Kentucky. She heads the Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health.
Before reaching the appellate bench, Lambert was a judge for a judicial circuit that included Lincoln, Pulaski and Rockcastle counties. As a family court judge, she created the first drug court in the area. For several years, she volunteered in middle schools, working with at-risk children and families to help them avoid truancy charges.
Lambert volunteers as a certified suicide prevention trainer, teaching others how to intervene to prevent suicide.
The Bell County native earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University and graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1989. She practiced law in Mount Vernon, serving as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney and city attorney for the city in eastern Kentucky. In 2007, Lambert resumed her private law practice there until her election to the Court of Appeals in 2014.
veryGood! (491)
Related
- Fighting conspiracy theories with comedy? That’s what the Onion hopes after its purchase of Infowars
- Earth shattered global heat record in ’23 and it’s flirting with warming limit, European agency says
- Jennifer Lopez laughs off 'Sad Affleck' memes, says Ben is 'happy'
- Barry Keoghan Details His Battle With Near-Fatal Flesh-Eating Disease
- Horoscopes Today, November 12, 2024
- Red Cross declares an emergency blood shortage, as number of donors hits 20-year low
- Family of British tourist among 5 killed in 2018 Grand Canyon helicopter crash wins $100M settlement
- Barry Keoghan Details His Battle With Near-Fatal Flesh-Eating Disease
- Colts' Kenny Moore II ridicules team's effort in loss to Bills
- Michigan deserved this title. But the silly and unnecessary scandals won't be forgotten.
Ranking
- Jason Kelce collaborates with Stevie Nicks for Christmas duet: Hear the song
- Onetime ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat to release a book, ‘The Art of Diplomacy’
- Japan earthquake recovery hampered by weather, aftershocks as number of people listed as missing soars
- Former Michigan staffer Connor Stalions breaks silence after Wolverines win national title
- Chrysler recalls over 200k Jeep, Dodge vehicles over antilock-brake system: See affected models
- Onetime ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat to release a book, ‘The Art of Diplomacy’
- Tarek El Moussa Reveals He Lived in a Halfway House After Christina Hall Divorce
- U.S. Navy sailor sentenced to over 2 years in prison for accepting bribes from Chinese officer
Recommendation
-
West Virginia governor-elect Morrisey to be sworn in mid-January
-
Ex-UK Post Office boss gives back a royal honor amid fury over her role in wrongful convictions
-
Thierry Henry says he had depression during career and cried “almost every day” early in pandemic
-
Run, Don’t Walk to Le Creuset’s Rare Winter Sale With Luxury Cookware up to 50% Off
-
Britney Spears Reunites With Son Jayden Federline After His Move to Hawaii
-
Golden Globes 2024 red carpet highlights: Looks, quotes and more key moments
-
Before a door plug flew off a Boeing plane, an advisory light came on 3 times
-
Amazon Can’t Keep These 21 Fashion Items in Stock Because They’re Always Selling Out