Robert B. Conley | |
---|---|
Associate Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court | |
Assumed office January 4, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Samuel T. Wright III |
Judge of the Kentucky Circuit Court | |
In office 2006–2021 | |
Judge of the Twentieth District Court of Kentucky | |
In office 1995–2006 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Robert Brian Conley
[1] |
Education |
University of Kentucky (
BS) Northern Kentucky University ( JD) |
Robert Brian Conley 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. [4]
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. [5] [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. [5] Conley has described himself as a Christian conservative. [14]
Year | Non Partisan | Votes | Pct | Non Partisan | Votes | Pct | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Robert Conley | 90,477 | 55.5% | Chris Harris | 72,425 | 44.5% |