Kentucky Court of Justice
Kentucky’s circuit judges attend 2007 Circuit Judges College

A gathering of 155 Circuit Court, Family Court and senior status judges from throughout Kentucky took part in the 2007 Circuit Judges College offered by the Administrative Office of the Courts for Kentucky’s circuit judges. The conference took place Jan. 28-31 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lexington. Judge Adams is

“The judicial colleges prepare judges for the issues they face in their courtrooms,” said Chief Regional Circuit Judge Rod Messer, who serves Knox and Laurel counties and is president of the Kentucky Circuit Judges Association. “This college focused on several timely topics, including evidence presented at trial and the sophistication it takes to investigate and try cyber crime cases.”

The college also provided the opportunity for longtime circuit judges to welcome their newly elected colleagues who are still settling in after taking office Jan.2.

The presenters for the college included Court of Appeals Chief Judge Sara Combs and Circuit Judges Messer, Julia Adams and James Shake. The group also heard from Stephen Easton of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law; Mark Rothstein, director of the Institute for Bioethics, Health Policy and Law; Dr. William Hacker, commissioner for the Kentucky Department of Public Health; Dr. Pam Remer, associate professor of psychology at the University of Kentucky; Louise Graham, professor at the UK College of Law; Pamela Murphy, director, and Michael Wright, litigation manager, for the Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control of the Office of the Attorney General; and Madison Sewell, assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction and hears all criminal matters and civil matters involving more than $4,000. It has jurisdiction over capital offenses and felonies, dissolution of marriage, adoption, termination of parental rights, land disputes and contested probate cases. Family Court is a division of Circuit Court. The Administrative Office of the Courts is the operational arm of the Kentucky Court of Justice and supports the activities of more than 3,500 court system employees, including the elected offices of justices, judges and circuit court clerks. The AOC provides training and education to the state’s judges.

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