Deputy Chief Justice Debra Hembree Lambert will take over January 6, 2025 – succeeding Chief Justice Laurance VanMeter.
Lambert has served 17 years in the role of judge or justice – with experience spanning from time in Family Court to the Court of Appeals, in addition to her tenure on the Kentucky Supreme Court. She also heads the Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health, a group working to address mental health needs, substance use disorder, and intellectual and developmental disabilities.
While Lambert was among the justices who ruled against a Louisville Circuit decision that would have halted enforcement of the state’s abortion bans in 2023, she also left the door open to hearing a future challenge on whether the state Constitution might protect abortion.
Lambert was elected to the Chief Justice position by her colleagues on the court. Outgoing Chief Justice VanMeter has called her a “hardworking, dedicated, and experienced member of the Kentucky Court of Justice.”
