John D. Minton Jr. (born March 19, 1952, in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale ( ) is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

) is an American lawyer who served as the chief justice of the

Kentucky Supreme Court The Kentucky Supreme Court is the state supreme court of the U.S. state of Kentucky. Prior to its creation by constitutional amendment in 1975, the Kentucky Court of Appeals was the only appellate court in Kentucky. The Kentucky Court of Ap ...

from 2008 to 2023.Official Profile of Chief Justice John D. Minton Jr.
Minton was elected to the Supreme Court on July 24, 2006, to fill a vacancy created by Justice William S. Cooper, who retired on June 30, 2006. On the retirement of Chief Justice Joseph E. Lambert, Minton was elected by his fellow justices to replace him. He was sworn in as chief justice on June 27, 2008.

Education and career

Minton earned his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

—with honors in history and English—from

Western Kentucky University Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky, United States. It was founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a few decades earlier. It operates regional campuses in Glas ...

in 1974. He earned his

juris doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of Kentucky College of Law The University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law, also known as UK Rosenberg College of Law, is the law school of the University of Kentucky located in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded initially from a law program at Transylvania Univers ...

in 1977. Prior to his election to the

, Minton served as an appellate judge for the

Kentucky Court of Appeals The Kentucky Court of Appeals is the lower of Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illino ...

, representing the 2nd Appellate District. He was elected to the Court of Appeals in November 2003, and served there until his election to the Supreme Court in July 2006. From 1996 until his appointment to the Kentucky Court of Appeals in 2003, Minton also served as a circuit judge for Kentucky's 8th Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Warren County. During the same time, and by special appointment of Chief Justice Lambert, Minton also served as chief regional judge for the Green River Region, a 21-county area. Before his election to the Circuit Court Bench, Minton practiced law in

Bowling Green, KY Bowling Green is a city in Warren County, Kentucky, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 72,294 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in the state, after Louisville and Lexington. The Bowling Gree ...

for nearly 15 years.

Honors

While serving on the Circuit Court Bench, Minton was recognized by the Kentucky Court of Justice for his leadership in forming the Warren County Drug Court, as well as for his commitment to law-related education programs. In 2003, the

Kentucky Bar Association The Kentucky Bar Association (KBA) is the Bar association#Mandatory, integrated or unified bar associations, integrated (mandatory) bar association of the U.S. state of Kentucky. History In 1871, the first meeting of lawyers from across Kentuc ...

honored him with its Outstanding Judge Award. He is also a graduate of the

National Judicial College The National Judicial College (NJC) was established in 1963 as an entity within the American Bar Association. The NJC moved to the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno in 1964 and became a Nevada not-for-profit (501)(c)(3) educational corporat ...

Personal life

Minton is the son of Dr. and Mrs. John D. Minton. At a young age, Minton and his parents moved from Cadiz, KY to

, where he was raised and still resides. Minton is married to the former Susan Lenell Page, also a native of Bowling Green. They have two children: a daughter, Page Sullivan Minton, and a son, John D. Minton III. Minton's father, Dr. John D. Minton Sr., served as a history professor at

and, much later, as the university's fifth president. Minton is a member of Bowling Green's Broadway United Methodist Church and a former lay leader for the Kentucky Conference of

The United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

. He currently serves on the board of the Student Life Foundation at

. He is also a member and past president of the Bowling Green

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest Service club, service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, go ...

and a former member of the board of directors of

Shakertown Pleasant Hill, Kentucky, United States of America, USA, is the site of a Shakers, Shaker Religion, religious community that was active from 1805 to 1910. Following a Historic preservation, preservationist effort that began in 1961, the site, no ...

at South Union.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Minton, John D. Jr. 1952 births Living people 21st-century American judges Chief justices of the Kentucky Supreme Court People from Bowling Green, Kentucky University of Kentucky College of Law alumni Western Kentucky University alumni Justices of the Kentucky Supreme Court