The National Judicial College (NJC) will honor two pillars of the judicial community in October with the Advancement of Justice Award, including Kentucky’s Hon. John D. Minton Jr., Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court.
This award will be presented by NJC Board of Trustees Chairman Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III, Esq. and NJC President Chad Schmucker to the Hon. Michael R. Barrett, Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio and Chief Justice Minton for their dedication to advancing judicial excellence and the Rule of Law.
For this special occasion, a reception with leaders of the legal, business and judicial community will be hosted by Frost Brown Todd LLC at Queen City Square in Cincinnati on Oct. 20.
John D. Minton Jr.
Chief Justice Minton Jr. was first elected to the Supreme Court of Kentucky in 2006 and was re-elected in 2014. His fellow Justices elected him as Chief Justice in 2008, 2012 and 2016. During his tenure, the Supreme Court has adopted Kentucky’s first uniform family law rules and Juvenile Court rules to ensure that family law and juvenile law are applied consistently in all 120 Kentucky counties. He also formed the Kentucky Access to Justice Commission to improve access to civil legal aid for those who cannot afford legal representation.
Chief Justice Minton Jr. is currently the president of the Conference of Chief Justices and chair of the National Center for State Courts Board of Directors. He previously served on the board of the Council of State Governments (CSG) and is an alumnus of CSG’s prestigious Toll Fellowship Program. He holds degrees from Western Kentucky University, the University of Kentucky College of Law, and is a 1992 graduate of the NJC’s four-week General Jurisdiction course.
Judge Barrett has served as a Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio since 2006. Throughout his distinguished legal and judicial career, he has served on many boards and committees, including: the Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline; the Board of Trustees of the University of Cincinnati; the Board of Trustees of the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati; the Mercy Anderson Foundation; the Board of Trustees of Talbert House; the Charles P. Taft Memorial Fund; and the Center for Dispute Resolution.
Judge Barrett has also been an active member of Cincinnati CAN (Community Action NOW!) and has served as Judicial System co-chair. A native of Cincinnati, he received his undergraduate and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Cincinnati.
