← State supreme courts · Kentucky overview
Kentucky Supreme Court
The highest court in Kentucky. Who sits on it, how they got there and how long their terms run.
Nonpartisan electionHow justices are chosenVoters elect the justices; no party label appears on the ballot.
8 yearsTerm length
7Sitting justices
1975Founded
No public decision data available for this court. There is no free, consistently coded source of how each state justice votes in cases, so this site doesn't score state judges.
Justices
Debra Hembree Lambert
Chief Justice · 3rd District
Party as listed: Nonpartisan
Took office: January 7, 2019
Elected
Photo: Ballotpedia
Christopher Nickell
Justice · 1st District
Party as listed: Nonpartisan
Took office: December 11, 2019
Elected
Photo: Ballotpedia
Kelly Thompson
Justice · 2nd District
Party as listed: Nonpartisan
Took office: January 2, 2023
Appointing official: not listed
Photo: Ballotpedia
Angela McCormick Bisig
Justice · 4th District
Party as listed: Nonpartisan
Took office: January 2, 2023
Appointing official: not listed
Photo: Ballotpedia
Pamela R. Goodwine
Justice · 5th District
Party as listed: Nonpartisan
Took office: January 6, 2025
Appointing official: not listed
Photo: Ballotpedia
Michelle M. Keller
Justice · 6th District
Party as listed: Nonpartisan
Took office: April 3, 2013
Appointed by Steve Beshear (D)
Photo: Ballotpedia
Robert Conley
Justice · 7th District
Party as listed: Nonpartisan
Took office: January 4, 2021
Elected
Photo: Ballotpedia
Source: Ballotpedia, Kentucky Supreme Court (retrieved Oct 26, 2026). “Party as listed” is Ballotpedia’s label; many state justices are officially nonpartisan. Photos from each justice’s Ballotpedia page (or Wikimedia Commons where Ballotpedia has none). Click a name for a short profile.