FRANKFORT, Ky., June 19, 2018 – Judge Denise G. Clayton of Jefferson County will be sworn in as chief judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals at a ceremony Wednesday, June 20, at the Jefferson County Judicial Center in Louisville. The media and public are invited. The event will take place at 3 p.m. EDT in the Appellate Courtroom on the 10th floor of the judicial center. Chief Justice of Kentucky John D. Minton Jr. will perform the swearing in, administering the oath of office to Judge Clayton.
She was officially sworn in as chief judge June 1 in Louisville and her term began that day. Deputy Chief Justice Lisabeth T. Hughes of the Supreme Court of Kentucky, who also serves Jefferson County, performed the official swearing in and will serve as master of ceremonies at the ceremonial event Wednesday. Court of Appeals Judge Joy A. Kramer, whom Judge Clayton succeeds as chief judge, will provide remarks, as will Jefferson Chief Circuit Court Judge Brian C. Edwards. Judge Clayton will also address attendees.
Judge Clayton was elected by her fellow Court of Appeals judges to be chief judge and will serve in the role for two years. The chief judge provides administrative oversight to the Court of Appeals. She is the first black judge to serve as the chief judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals. She had been chief judge pro tem since July 2016.
Judge Clayton became the first black woman on the Court of Appeals when she began serving in October 2007. She was appointed and subsequently elected to serve the 2nd Division of Kentucky’s 4th Appellate District. The district is Jefferson County.
Court of Appeals
Nearly all cases heard by the Kentucky Court of Appeals come to it on appeal from a lower court. If a case is tried in Circuit Court or District Court and the losing parties involved are not satisfied with the outcome, they may ask for a higher court to review the correctness of the trial court’s decision. Some cases, such as criminal case acquittals and divorces, may not be appealed. In a divorce case, however, child custody and property rights decisions may be appealed. Cases are not retried in the Court of Appeals. Only the record of the original court trial is reviewed, with attorneys presenting the legal issues to the court for a decision.
Fourteen judges, two elected from seven appellate court districts, serve on the Court of Appeals. The judges are divided into panels of three to review and decide cases, with the majority determining the decision. The panels do not sit permanently in one location, but travel throughout the state to hear cases.
Administrative Office of the Courts
The Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort is the operations arm for the state court system. The AOC supports the activities of nearly 3,300 court system employees and 404 elected justices, judges and circuit court clerks. As the fiscal agent for the state court system, the AOC executes the Judicial Branch budget.