Bowling Green Native John Minton honored for service to Kentucky Supreme Court
FRANKFORT, Ky. (WNKY) – A Bowling Green native and retired chief justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court was honored Friday during a portrait dedication ceremony recognizing his years of service to the state’s highest court.
The Supreme Court of Kentucky unveiled a portrait of John D. Minton Jr. during a ceremony at the Administrative Office of the Courts in Frankfort.
Minton served on the Supreme Court for 17 years, including 14 years as chief justice. He joined the court in 2006 after being appointed to represent Western Kentucky’s Second Supreme Court District. He was elected to a full eight-year term later that year and retired from the bench in 2023.
During the ceremony, Minton said the portrait was about more than recognizing his individual accomplishments. He said he hopes it serves as a reminder of the responsibilities each generation has to those who came before and those who will follow.
“I hope this portrait serves less as a monument to the subject or to a person, but more as a reminder of our collective, larger quality to ancestor thinking that is future oriented and creative,” Minton said.
Minton also reflected on the legacy of Kentucky’s former judges and justices, noting that their work helped shape the state’s institutions and communities.
He said those who serve today are stewards of that legacy and have a responsibility to consider what they will leave behind for future generations.
“We’re not merely heirs of a legacy. We are at the same time stewards of that legacy,” Minton said.
Minton added that the recognition was meaningful, but said a person’s greatest honor comes from the work they do rather than a portrait hanging on a wall.
“Our highest honor is not by a picture on the wall, but by doing our part to be good ancestors for the generations of Kentuckians to come,” Minton said.
Minton is a graduate of Western Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky College of Law. He is the second-longest-serving chief justice since Kentucky’s modern court system was established in 1975.
The portrait will eventually join the Supreme Court’s collection in the second-floor corridors of the Kentucky State Capitol once renovations to the building are complete.
