Justice Debra Hembree Lambert will be invested formally on the Kentucky Supreme Court in ceremonies conducted in the Kentucky Supreme Court Courtroom, 700 Capitol Ave., Frankfort, KY on Monday, Febrary 4, 2019 at 1:30pmET/12:30pmCT.
Justice Lambert will serve the 3rd Supreme Court District, which is comprised of 27 counties, including Adair and the surrounding counties.
She came to the Supreme Court after four years on the Kentucky Court of Appeals. Her election to the 3rd Appellate District, Division 1, in November 2014 made her the first woman from the 3rd District to serve on the Court of Appeals, and she will also be the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court from the 3rd Supreme Court District.
Prior to taking the appellate bench, Justice Lambert was a Circuit Judge, Family Court Division for the 28th Judicial Circuit, comprised of Lincoln, Pulaski and Rockcastle counties. She was appointed to that seat in 1999 by then-Gov. Paul E. Patton. While a Family Court judge, she created the first Drug Court in the area. She was recognized for her efforts in 2002 when the National Association of Drug Court Professionals inducted her into the Stanley M. Goldstein Drug Court Hall of Fame. She also volunteered in area middle schools, working 10 weeks each semester with at-risk children and families in an effort to help them avoid truancy charges.
Justice Lambert grew up in Bell County, KY. She earned a bachelor's degree from Eastern Kentucky University, where she graduated with distinction. She went on to graduate in the top 25 percent of her class from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1989. After completing a juris doctor, Justice Lambert practiced law in Mount Vernon, KY. During that time, she also served as an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney and City Attorney for the city of Mount Vernon. In 2007, Justice Lambert resumed her private practice of law in Mount Vernon until her election to the Court of Appeals in 2014.
Justice Lambert and her husband, Joseph Sharpe, reside on Lake Cumberland in Burnside in Pulaski County. She is the mother of two sons, Joseph Patrick Lambert and John Ryan Lambert, and two step-daughters, Jessica Sharpe and Chelsea Sharpe Woolums. She is also the nonna of Sam Stringer.
