FRANKFORT, Ky., Sept. 8, 2025 – In an effort to educate the public and students about the courts, the Supreme Court of Kentucky will hear oral arguments Wednesday-Thursday at Centre College in Danville – outside its traditional setting of Frankfort. Proceedings will take place at 10 a.m. EDT and 1:30 p.m. EDT each day in Newlin Hall at the Norton Center for the Arts. 

The public may observe in person or via livestream. Stream arguments as they happen or later as archives at ket.org/supremecourt.

Students from Centre, Danville High School, Boyle County High School, Danville Christian Academy and Kentucky School for the Deaf are expected to attend. The 10 a.m. arguments will be friendly for middle and high schoolers, and the 1:30 p.m. arguments are geared toward college students.

The justices normally hear arguments in the historic Supreme Court Courtroom at the Capitol. The sitting in Danville is part of a public education program started in 1985 when the court traveled to Louisville to hear oral arguments – the first time a state Supreme Court session was held outside Frankfort. Since that time, sessions have been held in locations across the state. Holding oral arguments in communities is an opportunity to educate the public on the work of the Supreme Court and the Judicial Branch. Civic outreach can improve understanding of the role of courts in society. Additionally, when the Capitol closed this year for a multiyear renovation, an opportunity opened for the Supreme Court to hear arguments in other counties. See the court’s oral argument schedules at https://kcoj.info/SupremeCourt.

While at Centre, Chief Justice of the Commonwealth Debra Hembree Lambert and Deputy Chief Justice Robert B. Conley will participate in a Centre-sponsored panel discussion titled “What the Constitution Means Today” at 7:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Vahlkamp Theater in Crounse Hall. The event is open to the public. While oral arguments will be livestreamed, the panel discussion will not.  

Judge Pierre Bergeron, a retired judge from Ohio’s 1st District Court of Appeals, will serve as moderator for the discussion about the U.S. Constitution in modern society, the tools the judiciary uses to interpret the constitution, and the difference between the federal and Kentucky constitutions. The justices will also discuss the Kentucky Supreme Court, their backgrounds, their methods for deciding difficult cases, and cases that may be of interest to Centre students.   

Before the panel convenes, the justices and court staff will spend time with campus administrators, faculty and students.

The Supreme Court is the state court of last resort and the final interpreter of Kentucky law. Seven justices sit on the Supreme Court and all seven justices rule on appeals that come before the court. The justices are elected from seven appellate districts and serve eight-year terms. A chief justice, chosen for a four-year term by fellow justices, is the administrative head of the state’s court system and is responsible for its operation. The Supreme Court may order a ruling or opinion to be published, which means that the ruling becomes the case law governing all similar cases in the future in Kentucky.

Oral Arguments

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 10, 2025
10 a.m.
KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION V. KENTUCKY OPEN GOVERNMENT COALITION, INC. (2023-SC-0524-DG)
AND
KENTUCKY OPEN GOVERNMENT COALITION, INC. V. KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES COMMISSION (2024-SC-0275-DG)

View attorneys and links to briefs at https://kcoj.info/SCSept2025.

Open Records Act. Public Records. Private Accounts. Private Devices. Issues presented include: (1) whether records concerning public business sent or received by public officials and employees are exempt from disclosure under the Open Records Act when they were sent, received, or stored on a nongovernmental email account or electronic device, such as a personal cell phone; (2) whether there is any distinction between emails and text messages concerning public business sent from, received by, or stored on nongovernmental systems; (3) whether, on remand, the Commission should have another chance to meet its burden concerning the unreasonableness of requiring government employees to search their private cell phones for text messages related to public work; and, (4) whether the Fish and Wildlife Commission willfully violated the Open Records Act.

Discretionary Review Granted: June 5, 2024
Cross-Motion for Discretionary Review Granted: August 14, 2024

Trial Court(s): Franklin Circuit Court
Presiding Judge(s): Hon. Thomas Wingate

1:30 p.m.
JEREL COLEMON, AS ADMINISTRATOR AND PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE ESTATE OF WILLIAM VIRGIL V. WESTPORT INSURANCE COMPANY, AS SUCCESSOR TO COREGIS INSURANCE COMPANY (2023-SC-0497-DG)

View attorneys and links to briefs at https://kcoj.info/SCSept2025.

Local Governments. Contracts. Insurance. Injury Policy. Wrongful Incarceration. Issues presented include whether the injury resulting from wrongful conviction occurs solely at the time of conviction or is ongoing throughout the individual’s wrongful incarceration.

Discretionary Review Granted: April 12, 2024

Trial Court(s): Campbell Circuit Court
Presiding Judge(s): Hon. Julie Reinhardt Ward

THURSDAY, SEPT. 11, 2025
10 a.m.
COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY, EX REL. ATTORNEY GENERAL RUSSELL COLEMAN V. COUNCIL FOR BETTER EDUCATION, INC., ET AL. (2024-SC-0022-TG)
AND
GUS LAFONTAINE V. COUNCIL FOR BETTER EDUCATION, INC. (2024-SC-0024-TG)

View attorneys and links to briefs at https://kcoj.info/SCSept2025.

2022 House Bill 9. Public Education. Charter Schools. Issues presented include whether HB 9, which provides for a public charter school project, violates the Kentucky Constitution.

Transfer Granted: April 18, 2024

Trial Court(s): Franklin Circuit Court
Presiding Judge(s): Hon. Phillip Shepherd

1:30 p.m.
ROBERT BRAUN V. BEARMAN INDUSTRIES, LLC, ET AL. (2024-SC-0277-DG)

View attorneys and links to briefs at https://kcoj.info/SCSept2025.

Civil Procedure. Constitutional Law. Personal Jurisdiction. Due Process. Minimum Contacts. Issues presented include whether Kentucky has personal jurisdiction over a Utah gun manufacturer when: (1) a gun made by the manufacturer injured a Kentucky resident by firing with the safety engaged; (2) the manufacturer sells its guns to distributors in Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee, who sell the guns to Kentucky gun dealers; and (3) the manufacturer does not advertise in Kentucky or provide regular advice or assistance to Kentucky consumers.

Discretionary Review Granted: December 12, 2024

Trial Court(s): Fayette Circuit Court
Presiding Judge(s): Hon. Diane Minnifield

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