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| Kentucky Court Records- Listed below is contact information and/or links to websites containing resources to help in a search for Kentucky court records. | |||
| Kentucky Court Records | |||
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Kentucky has a four-tiered court system established by the addition of the Judicial Article to the Kentucky Constitution in 1975. The article created the Court of Justice as an independent branch of government separate from the executive and legislative branches, and from county and city governments. Kentucky's Supreme Court Kentucky’s court of last resort, as in most states, is the Supreme Court. The court serves primarily an appellate function, issuing rulings and opinions that become case law governing all similar cases in the state. The court features seven justices, one each from the state’s seven appellate districts, elected by the voters to serve eight-year terms. The justices choose one from among their ranks to be the chief justice for a four-year period. At present, that man is Joseph E. Lambert. In addition to their appellate jurisdiction, the Supreme Court sets the rules of judicial practice and procedure for all Kentucky judges and attorneys. Appeals involving the death penalty, life imprisonment or imprisonment for 20 years or more bypass other appellate courts and go directly to the Supreme Court from Circuit Court. All other appeals must be heard by the Kentucky Court of Appeals, except those considered so exceptional that the Supreme Court will grant a request for the appeal to rise directly to the top level. Appeals from the Court of Appeals, except for worker’s compensation decisions, reach the Supreme Court only with the court’s permission. Supreme Court case information, the court’s oral argument calendar and minutes, and a searchable database of opinions all are available at its Web site. Kentucky's Court of Appeals Kentucky’s Court of Appeals handles most appeals of cases arising from lower courts in the state. If a case is tried in District Court or Circuit Court and the losing parties are not satisfied with the outcome, they may ask for a higher court to review the correctness of the decision. Certain cases, such as criminal acquittals and divorces, cannot be appealed. However, child custody and property rights decisions from divorce cases can be reviewed on appeal. Cases are not retried in the Court of Appeals, rather, the original record of the trial is reviewed and attorneys present their legal arguments from which the appellate court to renders its decision. The state’s Court of Appeals has 14 judges, two each from the state’s seven appellate court districts. Presently, the court’s chief judge is Sara Walter Combs. Judges sit in panels of three to review and decide cases by majority rule. The panels do not sit in a permanent location, but rather travel the state to hear cases. Case information, an oral arguments calendar, court minutes and a searchable database of opinions are available online. Kentucky's Circuit Court The Circuit Court is Kentucky’s court of general jurisdiction for capital offenses, felony crimes, land disputes, contested probates of wills and general civil litigation valued at more than $4,000. Circuit courts have the power to issue injunctions, writs of prohibition, and writs of mandamus, and to hear appeals from District Court and state administrative agencies. Circuit Court is the highest trial court in Kentucky. The state’s court Web site maintains a directory of the state’s roughly 95 Circuit Court judges, and clerks. A clickable map helps users locate Circuit Court information by county. A map to state’s 57 court circuits also is available online, as are circuit court dockets, in a searchable format. Kentucky’s Family Court is a division within the Circuit Court tier. Family Court was designed to handle dissolutions of marriage, child custody and visitation cases, child and spousal maintenance and support cases, equitable distribution of property, termination of parental rights, and adoptions. The family courts also have jurisdiction over cases involving domestic violence and abuse, the Uniform Act on Paternity and the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, cases of dependency, neglect and abuse, and juvenile status offenses. At present, there are 34 circuit family court judges handling more than 50,000 cases a year – nearly half of the Circuit Court system’s caseload. Kentucky's District Court Kentucky’s District Court venues are courts of limited jurisdiction. About 90 percent of all Kentuckians who are involved in court proceedings, however, will appear before a District Court. Juvenile matters, violations of city and county ordinance, misdemeanor offenses, traffic violations, probate of wills, preliminary hearings in felony cases (which will be tried in Circuit Court) small claims cases and civil cases involving $4,000 or less. Other cases in the district courts’ jurisdiction include voluntary and involuntary mental health commitments and cases relating to domestic violence and abuse. There are presently 116 district judges in 60 judicial districts within Kentucky. If a county has a large population or high caseload, it might be a district unto itself and have several judges. Other counties are combined into a common district, some with only one judge who travels between counties. More than 800,000 cases per year are recorded in Kentucky’s circuit courts. The dockets for these courts and cases are available online. |
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| KY Court Web Sites and online database searches | |||
Courts of Fayette County, Lexington Kentucky Supreme Court and Court of Justice US District Court - Western District of Kentucky US Bankruptcy Court - Eastern District of Kentucky Kentucky Courts - Search Available Reports and Research on Kentucky Courts as well as Court and Case Records for the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Kentucky Family Court - Overview of the family court and the court's role in the community. Kentucky Court of Justice - CourtNet Public Records access to criminal and civil cases. Kentucky State Supreme Court - General Supreme Court Information. Kentucky Court of Justice - Kentucky Court Records Search and Comments Kentucky Court of Justice Docket Information - Search court dockets by county Kentucky Judicial Branch - Search Kentucky Court Records Online Kentucky State Teen Court - Teen Court Information, Criteria, Contact Information and Teen Court Counties Map. |
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| Kentucky's County Courthouses, Phone Numbers and Addresses | |||
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