Bench & Bar September/October 2026

BAR NEWS

For his first campaign for Supreme Court justice in 1995, Justice Graves commissioned a brochure about his life and career and a jingle that people still remember. Inside the brochure is a military newsletter named “The Patriot” that featured the justice in 1989.

held court outside when the courtroom was too full, underscoring the need for a new courthouse, Supreme Court Justice C. Shea Nickell said. Justice Nickell of Paducah appeared before then-Judge Graves for motion hour on the courthouse steps. Their friendship and mentorship grew through court appear ances and civic activities. “Vote J.W. Bill Graves for his qualifications. Vote J.W. Bill Graves for his experience. Vote J.W. Bill Graves for his qualifications. Vote J.W. Bill Graves for Kentucky Supreme Court justice,” Justice Nickell sang at Jus tice Graves’ portrait dedication, recalling the campaign jingle that may have helped Justice Graves earn the name recognition to win election to the Supreme Court. Justice Graves said he set his sights on the Supreme Court after the justices reversed him 4-3 in some cases when he was a cir cuit judge.

“The Supreme Court did not have enough justices who had actual Circuit Court trial experience who could distinguish what was harmless error and what was prejudicial error, and that’s something you only learn from experience,” he said. In one case remanded for trial, the defen dant received a longer sentence with the same prosecutor and a different public defender. “It showed a lot of inefficiency in the system,” Justice Graves said. In 1995, Justice Graves defeated five other candidates in a special election to complete the term of retiring Justice Thomas Spain. He was elected to a full eight-year term in 1998. Of campaigning, Justice Graves said, “It’s a lot of time, lot of money. You meet a lot

of nice people, and it’s good to know your district and the people in it, and it’s good for them to know that a Supreme Court justice is another human being who puts on his pants like anybody else.” ‘FIRM BUT FRIENDLY’ Justice Nickell described his mentor as a practical jurist with a lasting influence. “Whether an attorney practicing before him or a judge or justice serving beside him, most would agree Justice Graves’ record of public service establishes that he was a firm but friendly and fair, no-frills, if somewhat folksy jurist, whose legal wisdom and writ ings have added significantly to the quality of our commonwealth’s rich jurisprudence,” he said. Around the time of his swearing-in cere mony, Justice Graves said he told the media that his common sense and conservative

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