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.
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Recent Decisions From the Kentucky Supreme Court
Date: October 26, 2023
Docket Number: 2021-SC-0399-MR
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's convictions for arson and attempted arson and otherwise affirmed, holding that the trial court erred in failing to grant a directed verdict in Defendant's favor as to the counts for…
Date: October 26, 2023
Docket Numbers: 2022-SC-0123-MR, 2022-SC-0183-TG
Date: October 26, 2023
Docket Number: 2022-SC-0155-MR
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's convictions of rape in the first-degree, victim under twelve; sodomy in the first-degree, victim under twelve; sexual abuse in the first-degree, victim under twelve; and incest,…
Date: October 26, 2023
Docket Number: 2022-SC-0179-MR
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the judgment of the trial court convicting Defendant of one count of unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to engage in sexual or other prohibited…
Date: October 26, 2023
Docket Numbers: 2022-SC-0245-DG, 2022-SC-0414-DG
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the opinion of the court of appeals concluding that the sentence Defendant negotiated upon a plea of guilty and instituted by the trial court was illegal, and…
Date: October 26, 2023
Docket Number: 2022-SC-0299-MR
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder and tampering with a witness and his sentence of life imprisonment, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on his allegations of…
Date: October 26, 2023
Docket Number: 2022-SC-0353-MR
Date: October 26, 2023
Docket Number: 2022-SC-0432-MR
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's convictions for first-degree rape, first-degree sexual abuse, intimidating a participant in a legal process, and being a first-degree persistent felony offender and his sentence of…
Date: October 26, 2023
Docket Number: 2023-SC-0181-MR
Date: October 26, 2023
Docket Number: 2023-SC-0196-OA
Justia Opinion Summary: The Supreme Court held that Senate Bill (S.B.) 126, which amended Ky. Rev. Stat. 452.005, was unconstitutional and declined to extend comity. Plaintiffs challenged the constitutionality of House Bill 594, which banned…
Date: October 26, 2023
Docket Number: 2023-SC-0223-KB
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.
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