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Kentucky Court of Justice 
Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Martin E. Johnstone to retire June 30
FRANKFORT, Ky., May 30, 2006 -- After 30 years on the bench, Justice Martin E. Johnstone has announced that he will retire from the Kentucky Court of Justice effective June 30, 2006. Justice Johnstone is the only judge in Kentucky history to have served at all four levels of the Kentucky court system. During his career, Justice Johnstone has served as Chief Judge of the Jefferson District Court, Chief Judge of the Jefferson Circuit Court, Chief Judge Pro Tem of the Kentucky Court of Appeals and, since 1998, as Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Kentucky.
"Words cannot adequately express how professionally rewarding and personally satisfying my 30-year judicial journey has been," said Justice Johnstone. "I will sincerely miss not only my colleagues on the bench, but also the many court personnel with whom I have worked over the years. I feel honored to have had the opportunity to serve the citizens of this Commonwealth and I look forward to the next chapter of my life."
“Justice Martin Johnstone has been an extraordinary Kentucky judge," said Chief Justice Joseph E. Lambert, who has served on the Supreme Court with Justice Johnstone for the last decade. "Not only is the breadth of his experience beyond all others, but he has served with great distinction in each of his judicial posts. Since he joined the Supreme Court 10 years ago, he has demonstrated outstanding scholarship, intellectual rigor, judicial independence and collegiality. Jefferson County and all of Kentucky have been well and ably served by Martin Johnstone.”
The Louisville Bar Association named Justice Johnstone Judge of the Year in 1981 and 1999, and he received the Outstanding Trial Judge Award from the Kentucky Academy of Trial Attorneys in 1991. The Brandeis Law Alumni Council gave him the Laurence Grauman Award in October 2005. The Grauman Award recognizes a lifetime record of leadership and service to the profession and community and is the most prestigious award presented by the Law Alumni Council. The Louisville Bar Association presented him with the Special Recognition Award at its annual awards banquet in January 2006, and he will receive the 2006 Outstanding Judge Award during the Kentucky Bar Association Annual Convention in Covington in June. He currently serves as Chair of the Jefferson County Planning and Coordinating Council and President of the Louis D. Brandeis American Inn of Court.
Justice Johnstone is a native of Louisville, Ky. He holds a bachelor's degree from Western Kentucky University and a juris doctor from the University of Louisville School of Law.
The Supreme Court is the state court of last resort and the final interpreter of Kentucky law. Seven justices sit on the Supreme Court and all seven justices rule on appeals that come before the court. The justices are elected from seven appellate districts and serve eight-year terms. The Supreme Court may order a ruling or opinion to be “published,” which means that the ruling becomes the case law governing all similar cases in the future in Kentucky.
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