Kentucky Supreme Court Decisions
The Kentucky Supreme Court provides governing interpretations of state laws and sets rules of practice and procedure for members of the legal profession in Kentucky. The Court reviews cases involving the death penalty, life imprisonment, or a term of imprisonment lasting at least 20 years on direct appeal from the trial court. Other cases must proceed through lower appellate courts before reaching the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court will review these appeals only if the lower appellate court consents.
Seven justices sit on the Kentucky Supreme Court, serving eight-year terms. To be eligible to serve as a justice, a candidate must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Kentucky and the district that elects them for at least the last two years, and licensed to practice law in Kentucky for at least the last eight years. Kentucky uses a system of non-partisan elections to choose justices. This means that the party affiliation of a candidate does not appear on the ballot. Each of the seven appellate districts in Kentucky elects a justice. The justices elect the Chief Justice, who serves a four-year term.
In recent years, the Kentucky Supreme Court has issued several notable and controversial decisions. For example, a 2012 decision struck down gun bans on university and college campuses as applied to guns that are stored in a vehicle. This case arose from events at the University of Kentucky, and seven other universities in the state supported the position of the University during the litigation. However, the Court rejected their arguments, finding that state laws prevent organizations from prohibiting gun owners from carrying their guns in their vehicles.
- 2025 (84)
- 2024 (211)
- 2023 (196)
- 2022 (167)
- 2021 (225)
- 2020 (201)
- 2019 (213)
- 2018 (235)
- 2017 (225)
- 2016 (262)
- 2015 (260)
- 2014 (254)
- 2013 (297)
- 2012 (273)
- 2011 (273)
- 2010 (330)
- 2009 (384)
- 2008 (393)
- 2007 (313)
- 2006 (434)
- 2005 (801)
- 2004 (343)
- 2003 (285)
- 2002 (368)
- 2001 (105)
- 2000 (81)
- 1999 (64)
- 1998 (68)
- 1997 (77)
- 1996 (50)
- 1995 (65)
- 1994 (63)
- 1993 (53)
- 1992 (94)
- 1991 (67)
- 1990 (56)
- 1989 (62)
- 1988 (42)
- 1987 (47)
- 1986 (51)
- 1985 (57)
- 1984 (55)
- 1983 (47)
- 1982 (45)
- 1981 (32)
- 1980 (35)
- 1979 (46)
- 1978 (61)
- 1977 (73)
- 1976 (40)
Recent Decisions From the Kentucky Supreme Court
Date: June 20, 2025
Docket Number: 2023-SC-0079-DG
Date: June 20, 2025
Docket Number: 2023-SC-0124-MR
Justia Opinion Summary: Earl K. Johnson was convicted by a jury in Logan Circuit Court on four counts of complicity to traffic in methamphetamine, one count of engaging in organized crime, and one count of complicity to murder. The jury found…
Date: June 20, 2025
Docket Numbers: 2023-SC-0245-DG, 2023-SC-0296-DG
Justia Opinion Summary: T-Mobile sought a refund for statutory service fees paid to the Kentucky Commercial Mobile Radio Service Emergency Telecommunications Board, arguing that the fees did not apply to prepaid cellular customers based on a…
Date: June 20, 2025
Docket Number: 2023-SC-0322-DG
Justia Opinion Summary: Christopher Morrow, a sergeant with the Lexington Police Department and a member of the Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge #4 (the Lodge), was accused of sexual assault by Kellie Jo Bell in 2017. Bell filed a civil…
Date: June 20, 2025
Docket Number: 2023-SC-0356-MR
Date: June 20, 2025
Docket Number: 2023-SC-0467-MR
Justia Opinion Summary: Jamie Boggs was convicted of several sexual offenses, including sexual abuse, rape, and sodomy, all involving victims under twelve years of age. The abuse occurred between 2011 and 2016 while Boggs was in a relationship…
Date: June 20, 2025
Docket Number: 2023-SC-0481-MR
Justia Opinion Summary: In April 2012, Glenn A. Peeler, Jr. was convicted of two counts of complicity to commit robbery and being a persistent felony offender, resulting in a 22-year prison sentence. Peeler's convictions and sentence were…
Date: June 20, 2025
Docket Number: 2024-SC-0070-MR
Justia Opinion Summary: David Young was convicted by a jury in the Lewis Circuit Court of wanton murder, two counts of first-degree assault, and DUI with aggravating circumstances. The incident occurred on May 18, 2020, when Young, after…
Date: June 20, 2025
Docket Number: 2024-SC-0084-MR
Date: June 20, 2025
Docket Number: 2024-SC-0112-MR
Justia Opinion Summary: Jeremy Mills was convicted in Allen Circuit Court for multiple offenses, including Unlawful Transaction with a Minor, Possession of Matter Portraying Sexual Performance by a Minor, and being a Persistent Felony Offender.…
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
