FRANKFORT, Ky., Feb. 5, 2026 – The Supreme Court of Kentucky will dedicate a portrait of Justice John William Graves (ret.) on Tuesday, Feb. 10, in Frankfort. The event is open to the public and will take place at 1 p.m. EST at the Administrative Office of the Courts, 1001 Vandalay Drive. 

To watch the dedication via livestream, visit the Kentucky Court of Justice YouTube channel at kcoj.info/KCOJYouTube and click “Live.”

Justice Graves was elected from Western Kentucky and served more than a decade on the Supreme Court from 1995-2006. Before joining the state’s highest court, he served as a district judge and then a circuit judge for McCracken County.

Speakers at the event will include Chief Justice of the Commonwealth Debra Hembree Lambert and other justices. Chief Justice Joseph E. Lambert (ret.), Court of Appeals Judge Sara Walter Combs, Justice Graves and the portrait’s artist, Fred Biggs, will also give remarks. 

Biggs and Justice Graves’ wife and son will present the portrait.

Portrait dedications usually take place in the historic Supreme Court Courtroom at the Capitol, but the building is closed for a multiyear renovation. Supreme Court portraits are hanging in the court’s temporary home at 669 Chamberlin Ave. until the move back to the Capitol.

Supreme Court of Kentucky
The Supreme Court is the state court of last resort and the final interpreter of Kentucky law. Seven justices sit on the Supreme Court and all seven justices rule on appeals that come before the court. The justices are elected from seven appellate districts and serve eight-year terms. A chief justice, chosen for a four-year term by fellow justices, is the administrative head of the state’s court system and responsible for its operation. The Supreme Court may order a ruling or opinion to be published, which means that the ruling becomes the case law governing all similar cases in the future in Kentucky.

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