Kentucky's Supreme Court will soon have a woman at its helm for the first time

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.