Kentucky Court of Justice
Judge Laurance VanMeter named chief judge pro tem for the Kentucky Court of Appeals

The Kentucky Court of Appeals has named Judge Laurance B. VanMeter to serve as chief judge pro tem for the court, effective Jan. 9, 2007. The chief judge pro tem manages the administrative functions of the court when the chief judge is unavailable.

"Judge VanMeter is both capable and dependable," said Court of Appeals Chief Judge Sara W. Combs. "I am confident that he will serve the court quite ably whenever I must be absent from the state. He always provides sound counsel on the administrative matters that we frequently discuss."

Judge VanMeter was elected to the Court of Appeals in November 2003 and re-elected in November 2006. He began his judicial career in 1994 as a district judge for Fayette County and was elected to a circuit judgeship in 1999. Prior to serving as a judge, he practiced law with the Lexington firm of Stoll, Keenon & Park.

He earned his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University and his law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Judge VanMeter currently serves as the Court of Appeals' representative on the Judicial Ethics Committee, which advises judges and judicial candidates on prospective conduct. He is also a member of the Supreme Court Civil Rules Committee. He is involved in the community through Little League Baseball, Lexington Youth Soccer, the Boys' and Girls' Clubs of America and Parents' Place.

Judge VanMeter is a native of Winchester, Ky. He represents the 5th Appellate District which is comprised of Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Fayette, Franklin, Jessamine, Madison, Mercer, Scott and Woodford counties.