Kentucky Court of Justice
William E. McAnulty Jr. sworn in as justice of the Supreme Court of Kentucky

William E. McAnulty Jr. was sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court of Kentucky today by Chief Justice Joseph E. Lambert. He was joined by his wife and children at the formal investiture service, which took place in the Supreme Court Courtroom at the state Capitol in Frankfort.

Justice McAnulty was appointed to the Supreme Court in June to fill a vacancy created by Supreme Court Justice Martin E. Johnstone, who retired effective June 30, 2006. This position serves the 4th Supreme Court District, which consists of Jefferson County.

Justice McAnulty holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University and a master’s from the University of Louisville. He earned his juris doctor from the University of Louisville School of Law and is a member of the Kentucky and Louisville Bar Associations.

Justice McAnulty began his judicial career in 1975 as a Jefferson County Juvenile Court judge. He was elected District Court judge for Jefferson County in November 1977, where he served until his election as Circuit Court judge in November 1983. At the end of his term in 1990, he briefly returned to private practice before being appointed to the Circuit Court bench in 1993. In 1998, he served as chief judge of the Jefferson Circuit Court. He was elected to the Kentucky Court of Appeals in November 1998.

The Kentucky Trial Attorneys Association named Justice McAnulty as the Henry V. Pennington Outstanding Judge of the Year in 1997. In 1997, he also received the Thomas C. Simons Distinguished Leadership Award from the Leadership Louisville Foundation. Judge McAnulty and his wife, Kristi, have four children – Patrick, Katheryn, William III and Shannon.