Gregory A. Lay

Professional career

• Judge Lay has been on the bench since 2004, appointed by the Governor as Circuit Judge for the 27th Judicial Circuit, later elected four times by voters
• Chief Circuit Judge of Kentucky’s 27th Judicial Circuit and Chief Regional Circuit Judge for the Cumberland Region, with over 35 years of legal service in public and private practice
• Appointed by the Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court to leadership roles in court administration and civil justice reform

Education

Additional information

• Serving on the Kentucky Court of Appeals 3rd Division 2 as of his 2026 campaign for the Division 2 judgeship
• He has been recognized twice as Trial Judge of the Year (2021, 2023) by peers
• Known for judicial restraint, loyalty to the Constitution, and applying the law as written rather than legislating from the bench.
• overseeing 23 counties
• Before joining the judiciary, he spent 14 years in private practice as a civil trial attorney and held the role of Assistant Laurel County Attorney and Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney