FRANKFORT — A bipartisan nominating commission has recommended that Gov. Steve Beshear consider a state appeals court judge and two other lawyers for an open state Supreme Court seat in Northern Kentucky.

The vacancy was created when Kentucky Supreme Court Justice Wil Schroder retired on Jan. 17 after announcing that he was being treated for cancer.

The three attorneys nominated to fill the vacancy are Joseph E. Conley Jr. of Villa Hills, Judge Michelle M. Keller of Fort Mitchell and Allison Emerson Jones of Prospect.

Keller has been a state Court of Appeals judge since 2006. A former nurse, she received her law degree from Northern Kentucky University's Salmon P. Chase College of Law.

Jones is an administrative law judge for the Kentucky Department of Workers' Claims. She received her law degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Conley is a partner with the law firm of Raines, Buechel, Conley & Dusing in Florence. He also is an adjunct law professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

A seven-person nominating commission — which includes state Supreme Court Chief Justice John D. Minton — chose the three nominees at a meeting Thursday. Beshear will appoint one of the three.

Kerri Richardson, a spokeswoman for Beshear, said a timetable on when that appointment will occur has not been set.

Whoever is appointed will serve the remainder of Schroder's term and face re-election in November 2014.

The counties in the 6th Supreme Court District are Bath, Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Fleming, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Henry, Kenton, Lewis, Mason, Nicholas, Oldham, Owen, Pendleton, Robertson, Shelby, Spencer and Trimble.

Beth Musgrave: (502) 875-3793. Twitter: @BGPolitics. Blog: Bluegrasspolitics.bloginky.com.