Debra Hembree Lambert

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Email: [email protected]

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​The Supreme Court and Court of Appeals have clerks of court who are appointed to their positions and are responsible for the custody, control and storage of appellate records.

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To serve as a juror, an individual must be 18 or older and a U.S. citizen. A juror must reside in the county where the trial is being held and to be able to speak and understand English; not have been convicted of a felony, unless pardoned or had his or her civil rights restored; not be currently under indictment and not have served on a trial jury for more than 30 days (except when necessary to complete service in a particular case) within the past 24 months. The judge determines the exact length of jury service. ​​

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Chief Justice-elect Lambert was elected as a justice of the Supreme Court in November 2018 from the 3rd Supreme Court District, which is made up of 25 counties. She heads the Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health, a groundbreaking commission that is working to address mental health needs, substance use disorder and intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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Justice Lambert came to the Supreme Court after four years on the Kentucky Court of Appeals. Prior to taking the appellate bench, Justice Lambert was a Circuit Judge/Family Court division for the 28th Judicial Circuit, composed of Lincoln, Pulaski and Rockcastle counties. She was appointed to that seat in 1999 by then-Governor Paul E. Patton. While a Family Court Judge, she created the first Drug Court in the area. She was recognized for her efforts in 2002 when the National Association of Drug Court Professionals inducted her into the Stanley M. Goldstein Drug Court Hall of Fame. For several years, she volunteered in area middle schools, working 10 weeks each semester with at-risk children and families in an effort to help them avoid truancy charges.

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A native of Bell County, Justice Lambert earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Kentucky University, where she graduated with distinction. She went on to graduate from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1989. Justice Lambert practiced law in Mount Vernon, serving as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney and city attorney for the city of Mount Vernon. In 2007, Justice Lambert resumed her private practice of law in Mount Vernon until her election to the Court of Appeals in 2014.

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Justice Lambert and her husband, Joseph Sharpe, reside on Lake Cumberland in Burnside in Pulaski County. She is the mother of two sons, Joseph Patrick Lambert and John Ryan Lambert, and two stepdaughters, Jessica Sharpe Guffey and Chelsea Sharpe Woolums. She is also the Nonna of Sam Stringer, Collin Guffey, George Guffey and Fletcher Sharpe Woolums.

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The 1976 Judicial Article unified Kentucky’s courts into a single statewide system. The reform was widely viewed as progressive for its time and continues to serve as a model for state court systems across the nation.