First Black woman justice
By Sarah Ladd
Kentucky Lantern
Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Pamela Goodwine — the first Black woman elected to the high court — was officially sworn into office Friday to cheering and clapping in the packed Frankfort chambers and the two overflow rooms.
Goodwine reflected on her life of overcoming obstacles when speaking Friday, and promised to carry “the importance of faith and education and perseverance” with her in the future.
“I always say I don’t give up on my dreams when life gets hard, I simply work harder to make my dreams come true,” she said. “If there is one philosophy and action I would like to be known for and for you all to recognize and live by as well, that is it. No matter what life brings your way, keep dreaming, keep working for your goals.”
Goodwine spent time in foster care as an infant and was later adopted by her foster parents. The Youngstown, Ohio, native and high school valedictorian gave up a college scholarship to support her adoptive father who was dying of lung cancer. About six months after her father was diagnosed, he died. After his death, his brother killed her mother.
At 24, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an incurable bowel inflammation condition that can be painful and disruptive to life. After that diagnosis, she spent two months hospitalized and had to re-learn how to eat and walk.
She began working in the courts as a legal secretary and court stenographer. She earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Kentucky and in 1994 entered private practice with the firm Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs until her appointment to the district court bench in 1999. Goodwine won her circuit judge seat in 2003. She became the first Black woman to serve on the Kentucky Court of Appeals after being elected in 2018.
“I have often been called a trailblazer,” Goodwine said. “More important than achieving any individual accomplishment, I have always believed that it is each of our responsibility to live and serve in ways that make the world a better place for generations that follow us.”
Praise for Goodwine
During her investiture, Goodwine’s fellow justices praised her for her tenacious character and long career of firsts. They also applauded her for making history yet again in officially donning her Supreme Court robes and inspiring broader trust in the court
Justice Angela McCormick Bisig said race and gender aren’t usually part of the discussions justices have about cases on their docket.
But, she said, “for this court to do that very important work, it is best to have all lived experiences and points of view at the table, because we can all strive to be compassionate and understanding, but we really can’t know what it’s like to be someone else.”
Goodwine won her race for the 5th District seat in November, becoming the first woman and fifth person in history to serve at every level of the judiciary. The Kentucky Supreme Court also has a majority of women now, for the first time ever.
Chief Justice Lambert takes public oath
By McKenna Horsley
Kentucky Lantern
During her investiture as Kentucky’s first female chief justice this week, Debra Lambert said her experience growing up in Eastern Kentucky shaped the path she’s taken in life.
Lambert, a native of Bell County, said her parents, James and Kathleen Hembree, “weren’t given much in the way of educational opportunities.” Her father worked as a coal miner at the same mine his father worked at before him, and her mother’s father “was a Baptist preacher who thought high school was only appropriate for his sons but not his daughters.”
With a piece of coal company scrip tucked in her shoe for good luck, Lambert was publicly sworn into her office on the high court, surrounded by her family, fellow justices, and members of Kentucky’s other government branches, including Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republicans Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker David Osborne.
“So, for my brief experience and tenure as chief justice of the Commonwealth, I think my parents’ philosophy will guide me well — work hard, be joyful and be fearless,” Lambert said.
Lambert’s four-year term as chief justice began in January. She represents the 3rd Supreme Court District, which includes southern parts of Central and Eastern Kentucky; voters elected her to the court in 2018.
Justices on the court selected Lambert to serve as chief justice in September.
Lambert now lives in Pulaski County with her husband, Joseph Sharpe. Lambert earned her degrees from Eastern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky College of Law