Joseph Lambert (judge)

Joseph Earl Lambert (born May 23, 1948)^[1] is a former Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Joseph Lambert
Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court
In office October 5, 1998 – 2008
Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court
In office November 1986 – 2008
Personal details
Born	(1948-05-23) May 23, 1948 (age 77) Berea, Kentucky, U.S.
Spouse	Debra H. Lambert (divorced)
Alma mater	Georgetown College University of Louisville School of Law

Born in Berea, Kentucky, Lambert received a B.S. from Georgetown College in 1970, where he became a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, and was a staff member for United States Senator John Sherman Cooper in Washington, D.C. from 1970 to 1971. He received a J.D. from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1974, and thereafter served as a law clerk for Rhodes Bratcher of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, in Louisville. Lambert entered private practice in Mount Vernon, Kentucky in 1975.

Lambert was first elected to the Kentucky Supreme Court in November, 1986, representing the 3rd Supreme Court District. On October 5, 1998, he became chief justice. He served on the court until 2008. His ex-wife, Debra H. Lambert, has served as a member of the Kentucky Supreme Court since 2019, and as chief justice since 2025.