Kentucky Court of Justice
Deputy Chief Justice Mary C. Noble to be first woman to preside during oral arguments in Supreme Court of Kentucky

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Deputy Chief Justice Mary C. Noble will become the first woman to preside during oral arguments in the Supreme Court of Kentucky when she oversees arguments in a criminal case Wednesday, June 8. Justice Noble will preside at 11 a.m. EDT in Commonwealth of Kentucky v. Leinenbach in the Supreme Court Courtroom on the second floor of the Capitol. The public and media are invited to observe.

Justice Noble will preside in place of Chief Justice of Kentucky John D. Minton Jr., who recused in the case. The deputy chief justice presides when the chief justice recuses in a case.

Chief Justice Minton named Justice Noble as deputy chief justice of the Supreme Court in 2010. Justice Noble has served as a justice since November 2006 and as a judge for more than 21 years.

Justice Noble represents the 5th Supreme Court District, which is comprised of Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Madison, Mercer, Scott and Woodford counties. Following her election to the Supreme Court of Kentucky for the first time in November 2006, she was re-elected unopposed in 2008 for an eight-year term.

Justice Noble chairs the Supreme Court Family Court Rules Committee and coordinated the effort to draft the new Family Court Rules of Practice and Procedure, which are uniform rules for family law cases statewide. She has also judged trial competitions at several law schools across the country and been a frequent speaker at state and national conferences on a variety of legal topics. She previously chaired the Supreme Court Civil Rules Committee.

Prior to her election to the Supreme Court, Justice Noble was a Fayette County Circuit Court judge for 15 years and served two consecutive terms as chief regional circuit judge for the Fayette Region. She is one of the founders of Kentucky Drug Court and served as a Drug Court judge in Fayette County from 1996 to November 2006.
 
Supreme Court of Kentucky
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. A chief justice, chosen for a four-year term by fellow justices, is the administrative head of the state’s court system and is responsible for its operation. 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.