DePauw University (B.A.) University of Kentucky College of Law (J.D.)
Christopher Shea Nickell (born c. 1958/1959) is an American lawyer from Kentucky who is an associate justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court.
Education[edit]
Nickell, a native of Paducah, Kentucky, graduated from the city's Paducah Tilghman High School in 1977, followed by a Bachelor of Arts from DePauw University in 1981 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1984.[2][3]
Legal career[edit]
Prior to being appointed as a judge, he practiced law for 22 years.[4]
State court service[edit]
In 2006, Nickell was elected to be a Judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals.[5]
Kentucky Supreme Court service[edit]
On February 6, 2019, Nickell announced he was running for the seat on the Kentucky Supreme Court vacated by the retirement of Bill Cunningham.[4][6] He was elected on November 5, 2019, defeating state senator Whitney Westerfield.[7][1] He was sworn into office on December 11, 2019.[8][9]
Teaching[edit]
He served as an instructor at Murray State University teaching Insurance and Risk Management and he also taught at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill teaching jurisprudence.[3]
Associations and memberships[edit]
He has been a member of the Paducah Lions Club since 1989. He is also an Eagle Scout, he has been recognized as a Kentucky Colonel, Honorary Captain of the Belle of Louisville and a Sagamore of the Wabash.[5] He is a Life Sponsor of Ducks Unlimited. He is also a 32 Degree Mason, a Silver Life Member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a Life Fellow of the Kentucky Bar Foundation, a Gideon, and a deacon at Paducah's Heartland Church.[3]
Personal life[edit]
Nickell and his wife, Carolyn S. Watson are both a Melvin Jones Fellow.[5]
Electoral history[edit]
JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT, 1ST SUPREME COURT DISTRICT, UNEXPIRED TERM[7]