Larry VanMeter for Kentucky Supreme Court

Rarely are two candidates so equally matched as the appeals-court judges who will be competing Nov. 8 to move up to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Voters can’t go wrong by choosing either Larry VanMeter or Glenn Acree, both of Lexington, to succeed Justice Mary Noble who is not seeking re-election after a decade on the high court.

We’re endorsing VanMeter because of his experience.

The Supreme Court must sort out and rule on Kentucky’s most difficult and significant legal disputes, but it has other important duties as well: The court sets the rules for judges and courts; advances policies that address social ills, such as drug addiction, that end up in the judicial system, and advises the governor and lawmakers on many matters including court funding.

VanMeter, unlike Acree, served as both a district and circuit court judge before being appointed and then elected to the Court of Appeals. VanMeter’s experience, presiding over everything from family conflicts to murder trials, makes him especially well qualified to help carry out the court’s many responsibilities.

VanMeter, 58, says he would be only the third justice to have served at all three levels before joining the high court; he served as a judge in Fayette District Court from 1994 to 1999, in Fayette Circuit Court from 1999 to 2003 and has served on the Kentucky Court of Appeals since 2003.

Part of an old and storied Bluegrass family, VanMeter practiced equine, business, real estate and estate law with a prominent Lexington firm before becoming a judge. VanMeter also has served on the Judicial Conduct Commission, which investigates complaints against judges, and is chairman of the board that manages pension benefits for judges and lawmakers.

Acree, 61, who has served on the Court of Appeals since 2006 and as its chief judge since 2012, has broader experience as a lawyer than VanMeter. He also has broader life experience, growing up poor in rural Metcalfe County and serving in the military to help pay for his college and law school through the GI Bill.

The 7th District includes Fayette, Anderson, Bourbon, Boyle, Clark, Franklin, Jessamine, Madison, Mercer, Scott and Woodford counties.

Voters are fortunate to have two well-qualified candidates. On the basis of his judicial experience, we recommend VanMeter.

This story was originally published October 27, 2016 at 7:26 PM with the headline "Larry VanMeter for Kentucky Supreme Court."