| Robert Conley | |
| Office: | Associate Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court |
| Term Start: | January 4, 2021 |
| Predecessor: | Samuel T. Wright III |
| Birth Name: | Robert Brian Conley |
| Education: | University of Kentucky (BS) Northern Kentucky University (JD) |
Robert Brian Conley[1] is an American lawyer serving as an associate justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court.
Conley attended Russell High School in Flatwoods, Kentucky in 1976.[2] He received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Kentucky in 1981 and his Juris Doctor from the Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 1984.[3], while at the University of Kentucky and during his first year in law school, he worked for ARMCO Steel Inc. as a steelworker.[4] Prior to his judicial career, he was an associate with the law firm McKenzie, Woolery & Eurick PSC and then as a corporate attorney with Addington Mining/Addington Environmental Inc.
Conley was elected district judge in 1995 and served in that capacity until being elected as circuit judge in 2006.[5]
On January 10, 2020, Conley filed to be a candidate for associate justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court.[6] Conley and his opponent, Chris Harris, both received the most votes in the June primary, advancing them to the general election.[7] During his run for the Kentucky Supreme Court he was sanctioned by the Judicial Conduct Commission in part for throwing a man in jail for three days for contempt of court without conducting a hearing.[8] [9] Conley went on to explain his conduct in that case due to extreme fatigue from the flu, saying he said he lost his temper and “it was a bad day".[10] On November 3, 2020, he won the general election against his opponent State Representative Chris Harris.[11] He was sworn in on January 1, 2021.[12] His term started on January 4, 2021.[13]
Conley was married to the late Melanie Stephens Conley for 28 years and is a father of two. Conley has described himself as a Christian conservative.[14]
| Non Partisan | Votes | Pct | Non Partisan | Votes | Pct | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Robert Conley | align="right" | 90,477 | 55.5% | Chris Harris | align="right" | 72,425 | 44.5% |