Sara Walter Combs

Professional career

• In January 1994, she joined the Kentucky Court of Appeals, a seat she has held continuously, and in 2004 became the first woman and first judge from the 7th district to serve as Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals, a role she held until 2010
• Began her legal career in 1979 as a law clerk to former Kentucky Governor Bert T. Combs, later working in corporate law and as a solo practitioner
• Judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, serving Division 1 of the 7th Appellate District, and is the first woman to hold the position of Chief Judge of that court

Education

Additional information

• In September 2026, Judge Combs issued a ruling denying an emergency appeal by foster parents to block the reunification of a one-year-old girl with her detained mother.
• Outstanding Judge of the Year (Kentucky Bar Association, 2010)
• In July 1993, Governor Brereton Jones appointed her as the first woman to serve on the Kentucky Supreme Court, though she lost the subsequent election that year.
• Born August 24, 1948 in Louisville, Kentucky, Combs is a graduate of Sacred Heart Academy (valedictorian) and the University of Louisville, where she obtained a B.A. and M.A. in French and later a J.D. from the Brandeis School of Law.
• Date of birth: 1948-08-24
• The widow of former Kentucky Governor Bert T. Combs, with whom she shared her home, Fern Hill, in Powell County, Kentucky.
• The matter was referred to a three-judge panel for further review Kentucky Lantern
• She found the foster parents lacked standing and that the child’s mother had suffered significant hardship, including prosecution and incarceration.