Kentucky
Kentucky’s highest court is the Supreme Court of Kentucky. The court has six associate justices and one chief justice, who is selected by the other justices to serve a four-year term.(Source: Kentucky Supreme Court; Kentucky Constitution)
Judicial Selection
Justices on the Supreme Court of Kentucky are chosen through a nonpartisan election, where multiple candidates may vie for the seat. The elected justice serves an eight-year term and may seek additional terms through a nonpartisan election. When a seat on the court opens in the middle of a justice’s term, the governor appoints a judge from a list provided by a judicial nominating commission. If the unexpired term ends at Kentucky’s next election, the appointed justice serves the remainder of the term. However, if the unexpired term does not end at Kentucky’s next election, the appointed justice holds office until the next election if the vacancy occurs more than three months prior to the next election, or the second succeeding election if the vacancy occurs less than three months before the next election. There are no term limits, nor is there a mandatory retirement age.
State Constitution
Kentucky has had four constitutions adopted between 1792 and 1891. As of January 1, 2024, it had 43 amendments. (Source: John Dinan, 2024)
Filters
New Findings Highlight Lack of Diversity on State Supreme Courts
More data and further scholarship is needed to devise policies for promoting a state bench that adequately represents the varied background of the public.
Scholarship Roundup: End of Semester Edition
Recent articles address states taking policy questions away from courts, standing in election cases, and state shadow dockets.
State Courts Can and Should Do More to Protect Voters
State constitutional clauses collectively elevate the status of voters as a group, giving state courts a strong reason to use a separation of powers analogy against efforts to curtail voting rights.
All Law Students Should be Educated About State Constitutions
Fortunately, there is a resource that makes it easy to incorporate state constitutions into the first-year constitutional law course.
The Sorry State of Disclosure for State Supreme Court Justices
A new study reveals that disclosures by state supreme court justices are frequently hard to access and lack relevant financial information.
Unpacking the Legal Challenges to Trump’s Ballot Eligibility
The vast majority of cases aiming to remove Trump from the ballot have been dismissed, but without deciding whether he’s eligible to hold the presidency.
Post-Dobbs State Judicial Races Broke Spending Records
New analysis of 2022 elections shows state judicial elections saw almost double the amount of money than any other prior midterm cycle.
A Conversation About Abortion Rights and the Future of State Constitutions
A retired state supreme court justice, a reproductive rights scholar, and the director of the Brennan Center’s Judiciary Program discuss the role of state courts after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that there is no federal constitutional right to abortion.