Judge Jennifer Kinsley was elected by her colleagues to serve as the Administrative and Presiding Judge of the First District Court of Appeals for 2025 and will be responsible for the Court’s administration, docket, and this year’s court calendar.
Judge Kinsley was elected to the First District Court of Appeals in November 2022 and took the bench in February 2023. After receiving her education from the University of Florida and the Duke University School of Law, Judge Kinsley began her career as a juvenile public defender at the Hamilton County Public Defender’s Office. Judge Kinsley then entered private practice, where she developed a national reputation as a First Amendment and civil rights attorney.
Prior to being elected, Judge Kinsely taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Law before joining the Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law full-time faculty. As a professor, Judge Kinsley also trained judges in Turkey and lawyers in Poland on the American right of free speech and related constitutional traditions.
“I am both honored and humbled to step into this new role at the court. I join my colleagues in a renewed commitment to the values of service, justice, dignity, and fairness for all.”
Judge Kinsley continues to serve as a member of the NKU Chase College of Law faculty and to teach law school courses there. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Bar Association Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky John W. Peck Chapter and serves on the Mutual Dance Theater Board of Directors.
