FRANKFORT, Ky., Aug. 16, 2021 – Justice Robert B. Conley of Eastern Kentucky will be formally sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court of Kentucky at an investiture ceremony Friday in Frankfort. The event will take place at 2 p.m. ET in the Supreme Court Courtroom on the second floor of the state Capitol at 700 Capital Ave. Chief Justice of Kentucky John D. Minton Jr. will administer the oath of office.
The media and public are invited to attend but space is limited. Masks will be required.
Justice Conley was elected in the November 2020 general election to serve the 7th Supreme Court District, which is made up of the commonwealth’s 22 easternmost counties. Chief Justice Minton administered the oath of office to Justice Conley on Jan. 1, 2020. The formal investiture at the Supreme Court was delayed until now due to COVID-19.
Justice Conley began serving on the state’s highest court after 26 years as a trial court judge for Greenup and Lewis counties, which make up the 20th Judicial Circuit/District. He was appointed to fill a vacancy in District Court for the counties in 1994 and then elected to the seat for three successive terms. In 2006, he was elected as a Circuit Court judge for Greenup and Lewis, serving there until his election to the Supreme Court. While a circuit judge, he presided over the Greenup/Lewis Drug Court, which was recognized by the National Drug Court Institute in 2010 as a mentor court to help train Drug Court personnel from the eastern United States.
Supreme Court of Kentucky
The Supreme Court is the state court of last resort and the final interpreter of Kentucky law. Seven justices sit on the Supreme Court and all seven justices rule on appeals that come before the court. The justices are elected from seven appellate districts and serve eight-year terms. A chief justice, chosen for a four-year term by fellow justices, is the administrative head of the state’s court system and is responsible for its operation. The Supreme Court may order a ruling or opinion to be published, which means that the ruling becomes the case law governing all similar cases in the future in Kentucky.
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