Photo Caption
Chief Justice-elect Laurance B. VanMeter (left) shakes hands with Judge Larry E. Thompson after swearing him in as chief judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals on Dec. 6. The event took place in the Supreme Court Courtroom at the Capitol. (Photo by Brian Bohannon)
News Release
FRANKFORT, Ky., Dec. 21, 2022 – Judge Larry E. Thompson of Eastern Kentucky has been sworn in as the next chief judge of the
Kentucky Court of Appeals and will begin serving in the role Jan. 2, 2023. Chief Justice-elect Laurance B. VanMeter administered the oath of office to Judge Thompson on Dec. 6 in the Supreme Court Courtroom at the Capitol.
Judge Thompson’s fellow Court of Appeals judges elected him to the post for a four-year term in September. The chief judge provides administrative oversight to the Court of Appeals.
He succeeds Chief Judge Denise G. Clayton, who is retiring from the bench at the end of this year.
“I have known Judge Larry Thompson for years,” Chief Judge Clayton said. “We both served as circuit judges and worked together in the Circuit Judges Association. We have also served together on the Court of Appeals. Judge Thompson has demonstrated the leadership, knowledge and professionalism needed to serve as chief judge. The commonwealth is well served by all of the judges and staff of the Court of Appeals, and with his selection as chief judge by his fellow judges, Judge Thompson reflects the confidence the court has in his leadership.”
Judge Thompson said he is humbled to have been elected chief judge.
“It is an honor to work with the other judges of this court and our wonderful support staff,” he said. “I hope to maintain the high standards set for this court by Chief Judge Denise Clayton and the chief judges that preceded her.”
Judge Thompson has selected Court of Appeals Judge Pamela R. Goodwine of Fayette County as chief judge pro tem.
About Judge Thompson
Judge Thompson of Pike County was elected from the 7th Appellate District, Division 2, to fulfill an unexpired term on the Kentucky Court of Appeals in November 2018. He was elected for a full eight-year term in November 2022.
The 7th Appellate District is composed of 33 Eastern Kentucky counties: Bath, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Clay, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Floyd, Greenup, Harrison, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Magoffin, Martin, Mason, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Pike, Perry, Powell, Robertson, Rowan and Wolfe.
Prior to becoming a Court of Appeals judge, Judge Thompson served as a Circuit Court judge, Family Court Division, in Pike County from 2000-2018. During his tenure as a circuit judge, his fellow judges elected him for a term as chief judge of Pike County Circuit Court. He served as president of the Kentucky Circuit Judges Association from 2009-2011.
Judge Thompson’s judicial career began when then-Gov. Brereton Jones appointed him in 1995 to an unexpired term on Pike County District Court. Voters elected him to complete the term in 1996 and reelected him for a full term in 1998. While on the District Court bench, his fellow judges elected him to serve as chief judge of Pike County District Court.
He received a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University in 1983 and a juris doctor degree from the Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 1986. He is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association and West Virginia Bar Association.
Judge Thompson grew up in Belfry in Pike County. He is married to Kelli Thompson and has a daughter, Larrin Thompson, and a stepdaughter, Taryn Cantrell Guerra. He resides in Pikeville and is a member of Pikeville Main Street Church of Christ.
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 for eight-year terms. 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 is based in Frankfort and is the operations arm for the state court system. The AOC supports the activities of nearly 3,300 court system employees and 406 elected justices, judges and circuit court clerks. As the fiscal agent for the state court system, the AOC executes the Judicial Branch budget.