Justice Lisabeth Hughes Abramson

4th Supreme Court District

State Capitol
700 Capitol Avenue
Frankfort, Ky. 40601
Phone: 502-564-5444

Jefferson County Judicial Center
700 W. Jefferson St., Suite 1000
Louisville, KY 40202-4737
Phone: 502-595-3199

Lisabeth Hughes Abramson was sworn in as a justice for the Supreme Court of Kentucky on Sept. 10, 2007, after being appointed to fill the vacancy created by the retirement of the late Justice William E. McAnulty, Jr.  In November 2008, the voters of Jefferson County elected her to serve as the justice from the 4th Supreme Court District.

Justice Abramson first served in the Kentucky judiciary as a Court of Appeals judge from 1997 to 1998. From January 1999 until July 2006, Justice Abramson served as a circuit judge for the 30th Judicial Circuit in Division Three of the Jefferson Circuit Court. In July 2006, she was reappointed to the Court of Appeals and later elected unopposed to that court where she was serving at the time of her appointment to the Supreme Court.

Justice Abramson earned a bachelor’s degree from the University Of Louisville, graduating in 1977 with highest honors. She graduated magna cum laude from the University Of Louisville School Of Law in 1980 and was named the Outstanding Graduate of her law school class. Before serving as a judge, she practiced law for 15 years, concentrating on business and commercial litigation. 

Justice Abramson is a past president of the University Of Louisville School Of Law Alumni Council and is a Master of the Louis D. Brandeis Inn of Court. She also serves as a trustee for the Kentucky Judicial Form Retirement System Board, and is the Supreme Court representative on the Kentucky IOLTA Board, and chairperson of the Civil Rules Committee. She is a frequent lecturer for the Kentucky Circuit Judges College and a 2007 graduate of Leadership Louisville.

Justice Abramson is a native of Princeton, Ky. She and her husband, Professor Leslie W. Abramson, have three sons.

Justice Abramson delivers keynote speech at Kentucky’s 2008 Law Day celebration

The dream of peace and prosperity in America was realized only because the nation’s firm foundation of law provided a stable environment in which the dream could be nurtured, Justice Lisabeth Hughes Abramson said in her keynote speech at Kentucky’s recent Law Day celebration.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Law Day, a nationally designated day for Americans to celebrate the rule of law. Law Day underscores how law and the legal process have contributed to the freedoms all Americans share.

At Kentucky’s 2008 Law Day celebration, which was held May 1 at the Capitol, 150 new attorneys were sworn in and 15 individuals received awards for their contributions to law-related education programs. Full speech. (16KB-PDF)

Justice Lisabeth Abramson speaks on importance of legal aid in Kentucky

Justice Lisabeth Abramson speaks on importance of legal aid in Kentucky Justice Lisabeth Hughes Abramson of the Supreme Court of Kentucky was the keynote speaker when the board of the national Legal Services Corporation visited Kentucky Oct. 18, 2010, to recognize the pro bono work of lawyers and four Legal Aid organizations in Kentucky. "As economists and pundits debate recessions, economic downturns and rebounding economies, all around us life goes on," said Justice Abramson. "For many Kentucky citizens, life goes on without full-time employment, with excessive consumer debt, with fear of foreclosure and in all too many homes, with domestic violence fueled by some or all of the above." The Louisville Bar Association hosted the reception.

LSC board members also were given information about the new Kentucky Access to Justice Commission, announced Oct. 14, 2010, by Chief Justice of Kentucky John D. Minton Jr. Circuit Judge Roger Crittenden (ret.), the interim chair of the commission, and Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge Janet Stumbo took part in a panel discussion on how the KAJC can identify needs and deliver legal services throughout Kentucky.