| Debra Lambert | |
| Office: | Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court |
| Status: | Designate |
| Term Start: | January 6, 2025 |
| Succeeding: | Laurance B. VanMeter |
| Predecessor: | Laurance B. VanMeter |
| Office1: | Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court |
| Term Start1: | January 6, 2019 |
| Predecessor1: | Daniel J. Venters |
| Education: | Eastern Kentucky University (BA) University of Kentucky (JD) |
Debra Hembree Lambert is an American lawyer who has served as an justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court since 2019. She previously served as a judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals from 2015 to 2018.
Lambert received her bachelor's degree from Eastern Kentucky University in 1983 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1989.[1]
Lambert practiced law in Mount Vernon, Kentucky. During that time, she also served as an assistant commonwealth's attorney and city attorney for the City of Mount Vernon.
In 1999, then-Governor Paul E. Patton appointed her to serve as circuit judge of the Family Court Division in the 28th Judicial Circuit. In 2007, Judge Lambert resumed her private practice of law in Mount Vernon until her election to the Court of Appeals in 2014.
On August 25, 2017, she made it known that she planned to run for the seat being vacated by Daniel J. Venters.[2] She filed to run on February 1, 2018.[3] She easily won the primary in May 2018, however it led to a runoff between her and her nearest opponent, Daniel Ballou.[4] On November 6, 2018, she gained 66.63% of the vote to Ballou's 33.37%.[5] She assumed office on January 6, 2019. On September 19, 2024, she was elected as the next chief justice. Her term will begin on January 6, 2025.[6]
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