Local News
By Rory McNelley Newswire Intern
Starting next year, Supreme Court Deputy Chief Justice Debra Hembree Lambert will become Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court. She will be the first female Chief justice in the court’s history. Her term will last 4 years, beginning Jan. 6. She succeeds Laurance B. VanMeter as Chief Justice after he decided not to seek reelection.
Lambert was elected this September by her fellow justices to the new position after six years on the court. She serves the third Supreme Court district, which includes 25 counties of Kentucky. The court consists in four male and three female justices.
Lambert grew up in Bell County Ky, and got her bachelor’s degree at Eastern Kentucky University. She received her law degree from the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law. She worked as a city attorney before pursuing judgeship. She has served as a family court judge, a Court of Appeals Judge, and as a Justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court. Lambert was first appointed in 1999 by Governor Paul Patton.
While serving as a family court justice, Lambert established juvenile and family drug courts for three counties of Kentucky in 2002. Because of this, she was inducted into the Stanley M. Goldstein Court Hall of Fame by the National Association for Drug Court Professionals.
Kentucky Supreme Court Room where Lambert will be serving effective Jan 6. 2025.
The chief justice serves as the presiding officer of the state supreme court. They supervise the process of selected cases for the court to hear, the discussions of cases at private conferences, public hearings, and the votes of the other justices. The chief justice is considered the senior member of the court, no matter how long they have served on the court.
Justice Lambert is known for her work surrounding mental health in the judicial system. She volunteers as a certified suicide prevention trainer, teaching others on how to properly intervene to prevent suicide. Lambert also serves as Chair of the Kentucky Judicial Mental Health Commission.
“She is paving the way for future generations like us and giving us the ability to see ourselves in positions like hers.” Lilly Jarc, first-year Philosophy, Politics and the Public major said.
