LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The justices of the Supreme Court of Kentucky voted today to elect Justice Laurance B. VanMeter as the next chief justice of the commonwealth of Kentucky. His four-year term will begin on Jan. 2, 2023.
“We appreciate Justice VanMeter’s hard work, dedication and leadership as an experienced member of the judiciary and a valued member of the Supreme Court,” Chief Justice of Kentucky John D. Minton Jr. said. “With this election, the justices have put their trust in Justice VanMeter to uphold the integrity of the court system and ensure the efficient administration of justice across the commonwealth.”
VanMeter will succeed Chief Justice Minton, who is retiring Jan. 1 after serving more than 14 years as administrative head of the judicial branch.
“I am extremely humbled by the vote of confidence my colleagues have shown in me to be the next head of the Kentucky Court of Justice,” VanMeter said. He was elected to the Kentucky Supreme Court in 2016 from the 5th Supreme Court District, which is composed of Bourbon, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Madison, Scott and Woodford counties.
Previously, VanMeter served as an appellate judge, a circuit court judge and a district court judge. He is only the third Supreme Court justice to have served at all four levels of the Kentucky unified court system.
Justice VanMeter serves as chairman of the Supreme Court Rules Committee and the Kentucky Evidence Rules Review Commission. He is also co-chair of the Supreme Court Civil Rules Committee and is the Supreme Court’s liaison to the Kentucky Office of Bar Admissions.
Before joining the judiciary, VanMeter practiced law in Lexington from 1983 to 1994. He received his undergraduate degree with a major in history in 1980 from Vanderbilt University and his juris doctor in 1983 from the University of Kentucky College of Law. More recently, he earned a Master of Laws degree from Duke University School of Law in 2020 and, in July 2020, was elected to The American Law Institute.