Debra Hembree Lambert was elected to the Supreme Court of Kentucky in November 2018. Her fellow Justices elected her Chief Justice of the Commonwealth of Kentucky for a four-year term that started January, 2025. Prior to that election she served on the Court of Appeals and before that, she served as a family court judge. During this time Justice Lambert created the first drug court in the area and volunteered in middle schools for ten weeks each semester with at-risk children and families; today, she volunteers as a certified suicide prevention trainer. In 2022 retiring Chief Justice Minton appointed Justice Lambert as Chair for the Commission on Mental Health.