Bench & Bar September/October 2025

BY JAMES P. DADY AND JOHN M. GHAELIAN Q & A WITH CHIEF JUSTICE Q&A WITH CHIEF JUSTICE DEBRA HEM LAMBERT

You were recently selected as the seventh Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court. What do you hope to accomplish as Chief Justice during the next four years?

I believe that the Kentucky Court of Justice is in a solid place. I hope to make only small but positive changes to build on the prior efforts of many talented folks. But first, in June, because of extensive reno vations to the State Capitol, we moved the entire Supreme Court and State Law Library to temporary offices at 669 Chamberlin Avenue. I will be overseeing the new multi-phase electronic case filing and management system, moving us from our in-house program to an outside vendor, Tyler Technologies. In addition, • We have a biennial budget to submit to the General Assembly and have already begun work and legislative meetings. Though our judicial branch budget is only a tiny slice of the total budget, we are responsible for about 400 million taxpayer dollars.

8 september/october 2025