By Tom Latek
Kentucky Today
John Minton, the second longest serving Kentucky Supreme Court Chief Justice, was honored during a portrait unveiling at the Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort.
More than 300 people, including former Supreme Court colleagues, judges, court employees, friends and family, were on hand for the event, which recognized his career and lasting contributions to Kentucky’s judicial system.
“We’re celebrating a physical representation of a heroic life that will be represented in the halls of the Capitol, the newly renovated Capitol, by your portrait,” said current Chief Justice Debra Hembree Lambert.
Minton served as chief justice from 2008 to 2023. He started his legal career in private practice in Bowling Green before serving as a Warren County circuit judge and later as a Kentucky Court of Appeals judge. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Kentucky in 2006 by then-Gov. Paul Patton and subsequently elected to a full eight-year term.
During his tenure, Minton guided the state’s court system through significant challenges, including the 2008 Great Recession and the COVID-19 pandemic. He spearheaded a statewide technology initiative that brought electronic filing to trial and appellate courts in all 120 Kentucky counties. The court also adopted the state’s first uniform Family Court Rules and Juvenile Court Rules under his leadership. He collaborated with the Executive and Legislative branches on penal code and juvenile justice reform.
Gov. Andy Beshear recognized the breadth of those accomplishments and Chief Justice Minton’s commitment to ensuring the judicial system serves all Kentuckians.
“You strengthened our judicial system in Kentucky,” he said. “And most important, you did it in a way that looks out for all of our people, that ensures that justice can be available for everyone.”
Justice Minton’s portrait, painted by artist Ellen Cooper, will hang alongside portraits of other justices at the Supreme Court’s temporary location at 699 Chamberlin Ave. in Frankfort while the Kentucky State Capitol building undergoes a multiyear renovation project. Once renovations are complete, the portrait will join the other justices’ portraits in the Capitol’s historic gallery.