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New Chief Justice
05/13/08 MRC/AP
The Kentucky Supreme Court justices chose John
D. Minton on Monday as the fifth chief justice of Kentucky
to replace Joseph E. Lambert.
Minton will take the oath
of office at the Capitol on June 27th, just after
Lambert's retirement takes effect. Lambert announced his
retirement from the court on April 24th.
Minton was elected to the
Supreme Court of Kentucky in November 2006 to represent
the 2nd Supreme Court District. He had been appointed to
the high court on July 24, 2006, to fill a vacancy created
by Supreme Court Justice William S. Cooper, who retired
June 30, 2006.
Minton, a native of
Cadiz, also has experience on the Kentucky Court of
Appeals and as a circuit judge for 11 years from 1992 to
2003 in Warren County.
Lambert's seat on the
court will remain vacant. Under state law, Kentucky's
Judicial Nominating Commission will provide Governor Steve
Beshear a list of three candidates for consideration to
replace Lambert until an election can be held. Beshear
must choose the replacement from the commission's
nominees.
Voters would choose the
permanent replace in November's general election, unless a
special election is held sooner than that.
Lambert is the
longest-serving justice now serving on the Supreme Court.
All the other justices took their seats during the past
three years.
In 2006, Lambert, a
graduate of the University of Louisville law school, was
selected by his colleagues to serve a third four-year term
as the state's top judge.
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