Caption for photo with Justice Venters and portrait
Justice Daniel J. Venters (ret.) poses with his portrait at a dedication ceremony today in the Supreme Court chambers at the Capitol in Frankfort.
FRANKFORT, Ky., Sept. 21, 2021 – The official portrait of Justice Daniel J. Venters (ret.) was presented to the Supreme Court of Kentucky at a dedication ceremony today at the Capitol in Frankfort. The unveiling took place in the Supreme Court Courtroom. The painting by artist Stephen Sawyer of Versailles, Ky., will hang in a hall on the second floor of the Capitol among portraits of other Kentucky justices.
“This building is a special place for me and this room is a special place,” Justice Venters said. “This bookends my career – my first job and my last job were here. To have this portrait placed here is a very humbling experience and one I’ll forever be grateful for.”
The first job was an internship with the Office of Attorney General and the last was Supreme Court justice.
He thanked artist Stephen Sawyer, saying he was glad to be memorialized with the image the artist painted.
Justice Venters retired from the Supreme Court in January 2019 after serving 10 years as the justice for the 3rd Supreme Court District, which is made up of 27 counties in Southern and Southeastern Kentucky. He was a member of the judiciary for 35 years, having also served as a Circuit Court judge for Lincoln, Pulaski and Rockcastle counties and a District Court judge for Pulaski and Rockcastle counties.
“All great organizations, including courts, need chemistry,” said Justice Bill Cunningham (ret.), who said it was one of the honors of his life to be a speaker at the portrait dedication. “Winning basketball teams are seldom made up of all superstars. They are blended together into a winning combination by the combining of many strengths. But even on those teams there will be a player who can do it all, who is the superstar, who possesses all of those skills needed in abundance. Dan was our superstar. He possessed all five of those characteristics I think makes for a great Supreme Court justice.”
Those characteristics are high intelligence, a variety of experience, excellent writing skills, common sense and character, Justice Cunningham said. Justice Venters’ character is a result of the values instilled in him by his parents and other family members, religion, and through his learning and reflections, Justice Cunningham said.
“Dan was not swayed by the external values that are created out of convenience and pop culture without lasting virtue or worth,” he said.
Justice Cunningham said that Justice Venters strictly adhered to the Constitution and believed in the rule of law. He was forward thinking when it came to case law, willing to change precedence when called for.
“Like the great justices of history, he was respectful of, but not enslaved by precedence,” he said.
Clementine Coomes, Justice Venters’ granddaughter, was also a speaker at the dedication.
“Mr. Sawyer, your work has captured my grandfather so well,” she said. “I can’t imagine the difficulty of painting a portrait that not only shows a realistic representation of the subject, expresses his position and role as commissioned and also provides a glimpse of his personality. This portrait accomplishes all of these things extremely well. You managed to capture Justice Venters’ intelligence and professional demeanor. But we also see my grandpa, his eyes showing his kindness and his sense of humor. I am happy to see that this portrait really shows him.”
Chief Justice of Kentucky John D. Minton Jr. reflected on Justice Venters’ time on the Supreme Court, saying he “was immediately comfortable as a fully engaged member of this collegial body and his words, whether delivered during questioning in oral argument from the bench, addressed to us during our debates in the conference room or recorded in a written opinion, were straightforward, insightful, challenging and always enlivened with Dan’s inimitable wit or a clever turn of phrase.”
Justice Venters told the audience of his family, friends, colleagues and others that he was blessed with parents who set him up for success by providing a warm home, books and freedom to explore the world on his own terms while knowing he would learn the rules he needed to. He also credited his sisters, teachers, friends and colleagues, and thanked his wife, Family Court Judge Jane Adams Venters, and their children and grandchildren.
He said his family gave him a reason to accomplish what he has.
“I want to leave them something to be proud of,” he said.
About Justice Daniel J. Venters
Justice Venters was appointed to the Supreme Court in August 2008 by Gov. Steve Beshear to fill the vacancy created when Chief Justice Joseph E. Lambert retired. Justice Venters was elected to the seat in November 2008 to finish Justice Lambert’s term and then elected for a full eight-year term in November 2010.
He served as a Circuit Court judge for Pulaski, Lincoln and Rockcastle counties from 1984-2003 and a District Court judge for Pulaski and Rockcastle counties from 1979-1984.
Justice Venters retired from the trial court bench in 2003 and returned to private law practice in his hometown of Somerset, focusing on civil litigation.
Prior to his judicial career, he was an assistant commonwealth’s attorney for Lincoln, Pulaski and Rockcastle counties from 1975-1979 under then-Commonwealth’s Attorney Hal Rogers, who is now a U.S. congressman.
Justice Venters has served as a member of the Kentucky Board of Bar Examiners and the Kentucky Bar Association Board of Governors.
He was admitted to practice law by the Kentucky Bar Association in 1975, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky in 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court in 2001 and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky in 2004. He received his juris doctor in 1975 from the University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law. Justice Venters has a bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University.
Supreme Court of Kentucky
The Supreme Court is the state court of last resort and the final interpreter of Kentucky law. Seven justices sit on the Supreme Court and all seven justices rule on appeals that come before the court. The justices are elected from seven appellate districts and serve eight-year terms. A chief justice, chosen for a four-year term by fellow justices, is the administrative head of the state’s court system and is responsible for its operation. The Supreme Court may order a ruling or opinion to be published, which means that the ruling becomes the case law governing all similar cases in the future in Kentucky.
Caption for photo with Justice Venters, his wife and the artist
Justice Daniel J. Venters (ret.) was joined by his wife, Judge Jane Adams Venters, and artist Stephen Sawyer of Versailles (right) during his portrait dedication today in the Supreme Court chambers at the Capitol in Frankfort.
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