Bowling Green native to be sworn in as Kentucky Supreme Court Justice

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WBKO) - Kelly Thompson, Jr. of Bowling Green will join Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter and associate justice Angela McCormick Bisig as they are sworn in to the Kentucky Supreme Court next week.

Thompson graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1968, and earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1973. From 1974 to 2006 he was a lawyer in the Bowling Green area. He was elected to the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 2006. On November 8, 2022, Thompson was elected as a justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court, succeeding retiring Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr. also from Bowling Green.

The formal investiture services for Chief Justice of the Commonwealth Laurance B. VanMeter and new associate justices Angela McCormick Bisig and Kelly Thompson will take place at 2:00 p.m. ET on Jan. 9, 10, and 11 in the historic Supreme Court Courtroom on the second floor of the Capitol. The events are open to the public. Seating is limited.

Kentucky Educational Television will live stream the ceremonies at www.ket.org/ky-supreme-court.

Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr. (ret.), who retired in December, will swear in Chief Justice VanMeter on Monday, Jan. 9. Gov. Andy Beshear, Senate President Robert Stivers, and Speaker of the House David W. Osborne will be among the speakers at the ceremony.

Justice VanMeter’s fellow justices elected him for a four-year term as chief justice that started Jan. 2. The chief justice is the administrative head of the state court system and is responsible for its operation. Chief Justice VanMeter is the justice for the 5th Supreme Court District, which comprises Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Madison, Scott, and Woodford counties.

On Tuesday, Jan. 10, Chief Justice VanMeter will swear in Justice Bisig. Justice Lisabeth T. Hughes (ret.), who retired in December, will introduce Justice Bisig before she takes the oath of office. Justice Bisig was elected in November to succeed Justice Hughes as the justice for the 4th Supreme Court District, which is composed of Jefferson County. Judge Bisig was serving as a Jefferson Circuit Court judge when she was elected to the Supreme Court.

Justice Thompson will take the oath Wednesday, Jan. 11. Chief Justice Minton, his predecessor as the justice from the 2nd Supreme Court District, will introduce Justice Thompson. The district is made up of Allen, Barren, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Butler, Hancock, Hardin, LaRue, Meade, Monroe, Ohio, Simpson, Spencer, and Warren counties. Justice Thompson was serving as a Court of Appeals judge when he was elected to the Supreme Court in November.

The investitures take place during Court Week when the Supreme Court hears oral arguments. This will be the first Court Week of 2023 and the first time Chief Justice VanMeter will preside as chief justice and Justices Bisig and Thompson will hear arguments as Supreme Court justices.

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.