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Supreme Court Justice Michelle Keller files for re-election to the seat she’s held since 2013


Staff report

Supreme Court Justice Michelle M. Keller, who has served on the court since 2013, has filed for re-election to another eight-year term.

Justice Keller is a lifelong Northern Kentuckian who also served on the state Court of Appeals and was its representative on the Judicial Conduct Commission. She is chairperson of the Court of Justice’s Technology Governance Committee and is chairperson of the Kentucky Access to Justice Commission and Criminal Rules Committee.

Filing for re-election

With the pending retirements of Chief Justice John Minton and Justice Lisabeth Hughes, Keller will become the longest-serving member of the Supreme Court.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve my District for the past fifteen years. My strong desire to continue in public service has prompted me to file for another term on the court,” Keller said. “I have had the privilege of serving with some brilliant individuals who have devoted a large measure of their professional career to providing access to justice for all Kentuckians. With the upcoming retirements of our esteemed Chief Justice, John D. Minton, Jr., and Justice Lisabeth Hughes of Louisville, I will soon become the most senior member of the Supreme Court. I hope to utilize the knowledge and experience I have gained from both my colleagues and my own service to help lead and guide the Court through the next eight years.”

Prior to her service on the bench, Justice Keller practiced law for 17 years. She served as an assistant county attorney for Kenton County. Her private practice concentrated in the areas of medical negligence and product liability defense, personal injury and family law, and criminal defense.

Keller also practiced administrative law, representing numerous clients before state regulatory and licensure boards. She is Chairwoman Emeritus of the Kentucky Personnel Board and has served as a hearing officer and member of that Board.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, she was a licensed registered nurse in critical care.

“It is incredibly humbling when I reflect on the fact that I am the first woman to hold both this seat on the Supreme Court, as well as my prior seat on the Court of Appeals,” she said. “My guiding compass has been adherence to both the U.S. and Kentucky Constitutions and statutes, as well as the protection of the individual rights of all Kentuckians. The voters of the 21-county 6th Supreme Court District have seen fit to elect me twice before by overwhelming margins. I sincerely hope they will grant me the privilege yet again, of being their representative on the state’s highest court in Frankfort.”

She has twice been commended by the Kentucky House of Representatives for her service to the Commonwealth, was named a 2012 Outstanding Woman of Northern Kentucky, was honored with the Richard D. Lawrence Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Northern Kentucky Bar Association (“NKBA”) and was the first woman presented with the Distinguished Lawyer of the Year Award by the NKBA.

The Kentucky Bar Association also designated Keller to receive the 2020 Distinguished Judge Award.

She is a graduate of NKU’s Salmon Chase College of Law, a Master in the Salmon P. Chase Inn of Court, and served as president of the Inn from 2012-13. She is also a Fellow of both the American and Kentucky Bar Foundations. At Chase, Justice Keller was an IOLTA Scholar, earning her Juris Doctor in 1990. Chase presented Keller with both the Chase Excellence and Chase Exceptional Service Awards in 2007 and 2011 respectively.

Justice Keller and her husband, Jim, a physician, are the parents of two grown daughters. They live in Fort Mitchell.

“I could not do what I do alone, and my wonderful husband, Jim, and our daughters, Brenna and Olivia, have been with me every step of the way,” she said. “Further, I am blessed with an excellent staff in my judicial chambers, and their work ethic is tremendous. ”


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2 Comments

  1. Rick Horn says:

    Good for Michelle.

  2. Roger J Auge says:

    Good for Michelle in capital letters. A good person who is a good judge. I will back her.

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