Kate Morgan has served as clerk of the Kentucky Court of Appeals since Aug. 2, 2021. The appellate clerk is appointed by the court and responsible for the custody, control and storage of all appellate records. Her appointment by the court marked a return home for Morgan, who served as a staff attorney for Court of Appeals Judge Glenn E. Acree from 2010-2018. In that role, she contributed substantially to the fabric of Kentucky’s jurisprudence and developed a deep understanding of Kentucky’s appellate rules of practice and procedure
After her time with Judge Acree, Morgan served as a regional staff attorney with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, where she prosecuted termination of parental rights cases and helped children in the foster care system get permanent homes. She managed a high-volume caseload and successfully defended the agency in appellate cases before the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Kentucky. Morgan began her legal career prosecuting educator misconduct for the Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board.
Morgan is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association and the National Conference of Appellate Court Clerks. She graduated summa cum laude from the Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 2009. She was ranked third in her law school class and served as editor-in-chief of the Northern Kentucky Law Review. As a member of the inaugural Chase Arbitration Team, she won the regional championship and earned a bid to the national arbitration competition. She received her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Kentucky University.
She volunteered as a member of the Franklin County Citizen Foster Care Review Board from 2013-2018. She has also served as a volunteer judge for the NKU Chase College of Law Regional Arbitration competition, the Kentucky High School Mock Trial Tournament and the Regional Future Farmers of America competition.
Morgan resides in Frankfort with her two children.