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The Kentucky Supreme Court will soon have its first female Chief Justice as Justice Debra Hembree Lambert was elected by the other members of the High Court to serve in that role for the next four years, starting Jan. 4, 2025.  

“Chief Justice-elect Lambert is a hard-working, dedicated and experienced member of the Kentucky Court of Justice, having served as Family Court Judge, Court of Appeals Judge and Justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court,” said current Chief Justice Laurance B. VanMeter, who is retiring at the end of the year. “Altogether, she has served as a judge or justice for more than 17 years. I am confident that Chief Justice-elect Lambert will lead the Judicial Branch with integrity and ensure the efficient and fair administration of justice for this great Commonwealth.”

After her election, Lambert said, “I am both humbled and honored to have been elected by my colleagues to serve as the chief justice for the next four years. I know it is certainly no small task to lead the Judicial Branch of government. Our judges, clerks and administrative employees handle large dockets and special programs with great efficiency. While it may be notable that I will be the first woman to serve as chief justice in Kentucky, I am most proud to be a small-town kid from the mountains of Eastern Kentucky who has had a lot of support and encouragement along the way.”  

Lambert, who is currently Deputy Chief Justice, was elected as a justice of the Supreme Court in November 2018 from the 3rd Supreme Court District, which is made up of 25 counties, stretching from Anderson and Nelson counties in the North, down to the Tennessee line, and as far East as Bell and Harlan counties. She heads the Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health, a groundbreaking commission that is working to address mental health needs, substance use disorder and intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Lambert came to the Supreme Court after four years on the Kentucky Court of Appeals. Prior to that,  she was a Circuit Judge/Family Court division for the 28th Judicial Circuit, composed of Lincoln, Pulaski and Rockcastle counties.

A native of Bell County, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University, then from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1989.

Justice Lambert and her husband, Joseph Sharpe, reside on Lake Cumberland in Burnside in Pulaski County.