Judge Jones was appointed to the Court of Appeals in April of 2024 to fill the unexpired term of retired Judge Donna Dixon until the position can be filled by election in November of 2024. Prior to her appointment, Jones presided over Daviess County Circuit Court from 2019 until her appointment, and Daviess District Court from 2001 until her election to the circuit bench. Jones was the first woman elected as Judge in Daviess County. She was also the first woman to be elected to the Daviess Circuit Court and is now the first woman from Daviess County to serve on the Kentucky Court of Appeals.
Judge Jones served as the Chief Judge of both Daviess District and Daviess Circuit Courts. As a District Judge, Jones presided over juvenile drug court and served on the states Juvenile Justice Task Force and Juvenile Justice Oversight Commission, receiving appointments to those positions from governors of both parties. As Circuit Judge, Jones presided over adult drug court, AOT (Assisted Outpatient Treatment/Tim's Law), and Mental Health Court. Judge Jones spearheaded a collaboration of community partners to create the Daviess County Mental Health Court, working with individuals with low intellectual functioning or serious mental illness who have pending felony cases or are on felony probation.
Her work in juvenile justice has earned Judge Jones national attention. She has presented on the topic to the Coalition on Juvenile Justice, the National Sheriffs' Association, the National Association of Women in Corrections, the National Center for State Courts, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the National Association of Family and Juvenile Court Judges. Jones has served the Kentucky judiciary by taking part in the drafting of Kentucky's Family Court Rules of Practice and Procedure and Juvenile Court Rules of Practice and Procedure. This earned her the Chief Justice's Award for Special Services presented at the 2015 Kentucky Bar Convention. Currently Jones serves on Kentucky's Judicial Commission on Mental Health where she chairs the Juvenile Justice Workgroup, and she co-chairs the state's Certification Advisory Committee which updated Kentucky's Rules of Practice for Adult Drug Court and is currently drafting uniform rules for all Kentucky's specialty courts.
Before taking the bench, Jones spent time in private practice with the law firm of Sheffer – Hoffman, where her practice was centered on medical malpractice defense. She also served as an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney, trying a range of cases from sexual assault to robbery, burglary, and murder. Judge Jones graduated from Brescia University in 1993 where she has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus. She received her J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1996. She has also participated in the Leadership Owensboro and Leadership Kentucky programs.
Judge Jones is married to Greg Jones, and they have two children Will and Annie. Judge Jones and her husband met through Theatre Workshop of Owensboro and they and their children continue to support a variety of performing arts both onstage and off.