Robert B. Conley
Robert Brian Conley is an American lawyer serving as Deputy Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court.
Education and legal career
Conley attended Russell [High School (Kentucky)|Russell High School] in Flatwoods, Kentucky in 1976. He received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Kentucky in 1981 and his Juris Doctor from the Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 1984., while at the University of Kentucky and during his first year in law school, he worked for ARMCO Steel Inc. as a steelworker. Prior to his judicial career, he was an associate with the law firm McKenzie, Woolery & Eurick PSC and then as a corporate attorney with Addington Mining/Addington Environmental Inc.
Judicial career
Conley was elected district judge for Greenup and Lewis Counties in 1995 and served in that capacity until being elected as circuit judge for the same counites in 2006. Conley served as circuit judge until his election to the Supreme Court in 2020.
On January 10, 2020, Conley filed to be a candidate for justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court. Conley and his opponent, Chris Harris, both received the most votes in the June primary, advancing them to the general election. During his run for the Kentucky Supreme Court he received a public reprimand from the Kentucky Judicial Conduct Commission in part for jailing a defendant for three days for contempt of court without conducting a hearing. Conley went on to explain his conduct in that case due to extreme fatigue from the flu, saying he said he lost his temper and “it was a bad day". On November 3, 2020, he won the general election against his opponent State Representative Chris Harris. He was sworn in on January 1, 2021. His term started on January 4, 2021.
Personal life
Conley was married to the late Melanie Stephens Conley for 28 years and is a father of two. Conley has described himself as a Christian Conservatism in [the United States|conservative].