Kentucky Court of Justice
Judicial Nominating Commission releases names of nominees for new Circuit Court judgeship in Boone and Gallatin counties

The Judicial Nominating Commission, led by Chief Justice Joseph E. Lambert, today announced the three nominees to fill a new circuit judgeship for the 54th Judicial Circuit, consisting of Boone and Gallatin counties. This judgeship will serve Division 3 of Circuit Court and is one of nine new judgeships approved by the 2006 Kentucky General Assembly which became effective Jan. 1, 2007.

The nominees to fill this vacancy are attorneys Teresa L. Cunningham, Colleen M. Hegge and James R. Schrand II.

Teresa L. Cunningham
Ms. Cunningham has a solo practice in Florence where she focuses on criminal and employment law, personal injury law and cases involving construction and estates. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Cincinnati and her juris doctor from the University of Dayton. She resides in Burlington.

Colleen M. Hegge
Ms. Hegge resides and works in Union where she is a partner with Noyes, McMain & Hegge PLLC. Her practice is mainly in the area of complex litigation, personal injury and contract disputes. She is also a consultant for Statman, Harris & Eyrich in the area of consumer class actions. Ms. Hegge earned her bachelor's degree from Morehead State University and her juris doctor from the Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law.

James R. Schrand II
Mr. Schrand is the Boone county attorney and he also practices law with Jones, Dietz & Schrand where he prosecutes misdemeanor criminal cases, juvenile criminal cases and felony criminal cases and handles dependency, neglect and abuse cases. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Kentucky, a master's degree in business administration from Indiana Wesleyan University and a juris doctor from the Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law. He resides in Union.

Judicial Nominating Process
When a judicial vacancy occurs, the executive secretary of the Judicial Nominating Commission publishes a notice of vacancy in the judicial circuit or the judicial district affected. Attorneys can recommend someone or nominate themselves. The names of the applicants are not released. Once nominations occur, the individuals interested in the position return a questionnaire to the Office of the Chief Justice. Chief Justice Lambert then meets with the Judicial Nominating Commission to choose three nominees. Because the Kentucky Constitution requires that three names be submitted to the governor, in some cases the commission submits an attorney's name even though the attorney did not apply. A letter naming the three nominees is sent to Gov. Ernie Fletcher for review. The governor has 60 days to appoint a replacement and his office makes the announcement.

Circuit Court
Circuit Court is the court of general jurisdiction and hears all 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. 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.

###