Kentucky Court of Justice
John D. Minton Jr. sworn in as justice of the Supreme Court of Kentucky

John D. Minton Jr. was sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court of Kentucky Aug. 14 by Chief Justice Joseph E. Lambert. He was joined by his wife, Susan, at the formal investiture service which took place in the Supreme Court Courtroom at the state Capitol in Frankfort.

Justice Minton was appointed to the Supreme Court in July to fill a vacancy created by Supreme Court Justice William S. Cooper of Elizabethtown, who retired effective June 30, 2006. This position serves the 2nd Supreme Court District, which consists of Barren, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Daviess, Grayson, Hancock, Hardin, Hart, Henderson, LaRue, Meade, Ohio, Union and Warren counties.

Justice Minton of Bowling Green served as a judge on the Kentucky Court of Appeals after being elected to represent the 2nd Appellate District in November 2003. He previously served as a circuit judge for Warren County from 1992 to 2003. From 1996 to 2003, he also served by special appointment of Chief Justice Lambert as chief administrative judge of the Green River Region, a 21-county judicial circuit.

While on the circuit bench, Justice Minton was recognized by the Kentucky Court of Justice for his leadership in forming Warren County Drug Court and for his commitment to law-related education programs. In 2003, Justice Minton was honored by the Kentucky Bar Association with the Outstanding Judge Award. He is a graduate of the National Judicial College, which is located at the University of Nevada Reno.

Before his election to Circuit Court, Justice Minton was a practicing lawyer in Bowling Green for nearly 15 years. He graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1977. He earned a bachelor's degree with honors in history and English from Western Kentucky University in 1974.
 
Justice Minton is the son of Dr. and Mrs. John D. Minton, Trigg county natives who currently live in Bowling Green. Dr. Minton formerly served as the fifth president of Western Kentucky University and as the principal of Trigg County High School.
 
Justice Minton is a former resident of Trigg County who spent his elementary and high school years in Bowling Green. He is married to the former Susan Lenell Page, a Bowling Green native. They have two children, Page Sullivan Minton and John D. Minton IIII. Justice Minton is a member of Broadway United Methodist Church in Bowling Green. He is also a member and past president of the Bowling Green Rotary Club and a former member of the board of directors of Shakertown at South Union.