Joseph Lambert
From Judgepedia
| Kentucky Supreme Court |
|---|
|
| Sitting justices |
| Bill Cunningham John Minton Lisabeth Hughes Abramson Mary Noble Wil Schroder Will Scott Daniel Venters |
| Former justices |
| Kentucky on Judgepedia |
Contents |
Chief Justice Joseph E. Lambert was elected to the Supreme Court of Kentucky in 1986 by the citizens of the 3rd Supreme Court District, which is comprised of 27 counties in Southcentral Kentucky. He retired from this position on June 27, 2008.
Legal background
Lambert holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown College, and a juris doctor from the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, which gave him its Distinguished Alumni Award.
As chief justice
During his tenure, Chief Justice Lambert has focused on implementing cutting-edge programs in technology, court records, judicial education, justice facilities, pretrial services, promotion of women, and Family and Drug courts. As a result, the Kentucky court system is proving to be one of the Commonwealth’s finest achievements. Chief Justice Lambert counts among his most significant accomplishments the 2002 passage of the amendment that made Family Court a permanent part of the Kentucky Constitution.
Retirement
Lambert steps down
After a decade as chief justice and nearly 22 years as a justice of the Supreme Court of Kentucky, Chief Justice Joseph E. Lambert left the court to join the Senior Judge Program.
In his retirement announcement, justice Lambert said, "We have made great progress in the last decade to improve Kentucky courts and make them more responsive to the needs of Kentucky’s families and children. As with any individual’s efforts, however, there comes a time to move on. I believe it’s a mistake to remain for too long in a high-level position in government. When I became chief justice, it was with the full intention of serving only two four-year terms. However, due to a massive number of judicial elections in 2006 and due to significant changes in the makeup of the Supreme Court at that time, I felt a duty to stay through the period of transition. I’m happy to say that the Court of Justice continues to operate smoothly and this is an appropriate time for me to move on to other professional opportunities."[1]
Lambert's replacement
Lambert's position as Chief Justice was filled by former Associate Justice John D. Minton, Jr.[2]
Community service
In October 2007, U.S. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. appointed Chief Justice Lambert to a three-year membership on the Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction of the Judicial Conference of the United States. The Judicial Conference of the United States established the Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction in 1987 to study proposed changes in federal jurisdiction and to serve as a liaison with the state courts.
He is a former board member of the Conference of Chief Justices and Eastern Kentucky University. He currently serves as board chair of the Judicial Form Retirement Plan and the Rockcastle Hospital and Respiratory Care Center in Mt. Vernon, Ky.
Awards
The Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy gave Chief Justice Lambert its Robert F. Stephens Public Service Award in 2006. In 2004, he received the Civil Rights Award from both the Northern Kentucky NAACP and the Lexington NAACP for his commitment to eliminating discrimination. In 2003, he was awarded the Kentucky Bar Association President’s Special Service Award. He was given the Kentucky Public Advocate Award in 2001. In 2000, the Kentucky Bar Association named him Outstanding Judge and the National Association of Drug Court Professionals gave him its Leadership Award.
