Kentucky Court of Justice
Judicial Branch enacts emergency management plan in response to March 2 storm damage

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- The Administrative Office of the Courts launched its emergency management plan upon news of destruction in several Kentucky counties following storms on March 2, 2012. The state’s judicial centers were not damaged and are open for business today with the exception of the courthouse in Morgan County.

The Magoffin County Justice Center at 100 E. Maple St. in Salyersville was closed on Monday, March 5, while phone service was restored and downtown roads were cleared. The justice center will reopen for business on Tuesday, March 6.

In Morgan County, the courthouse at 518 Main St. in West Liberty was largely destroyed. Court hearings in Morgan County are canceled for Monday and Tuesday, March 5-6, and the AOC is conferring with local judges, the circuit court clerk and the county judge-executive on when court dockets there can resume.

Court staff have secured the majority of court records housed in the Morgan County Office of Circuit Court Clerk and efforts are under way to relocate Morgan County’s court facilities to a temporary site elsewhere in Morgan County. The Morgan County Judicial Center, under construction and almost 60 percent complete, was also heavily damaged in the storm. Photos of Morgan County tornado damage

“I commend the AOC’s emergency response team for its quick, professional response to this disaster,” Chief Justice of Kentucky John D. Minton Jr. said. “The staff is working hard to secure court records and minimize the interruption of court services while arranging for long-term housing for Morgan County’s court facilities. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who lost family members, friends and personal property during the severe weather.”

Chief Justice Minton and Supreme Court Justice Will T. Scott, who represents the 7th Supreme Court District, will visit West Liberty on Tuesday, March 6, at 10:30 a.m. to see firsthand the damage sustained by the historic Morgan County Courthouse and the Morgan County Judicial Center. They will also tour space at 155 University Dr. that will be outfitted as a temporary courthouse and meet with local judges, the circuit court clerk and the county judge-executive to determine what other recovery assistance they need from the Judicial Branch.

Visit www.courts.ky.gov for regular updates on the progress being made to resume court services in Morgan County.

As the administrative and fiscal agent for the state court system, the AOC oversees the construction and maintenance of court facilities statewide. The AOC also supports the activities of nearly 3,300 Kentucky Court of Justice employees and 403 elected justices, judges and circuit court clerks.