Lambert's son linked to courthouses

By Linda B. Blackford
LBLACKFORD@HERALD-LEADER.COM

The son of outgoing Supreme Court Chief Justice Joseph Lambert works for a company that has been the financial adviser on 70 percent of the new courthouses built between 1998 and 2006. Lambert became chief justice in 1998, and oversees a building program that has constructed 60 new courthouses.

Joseph P. Lambert Jr. works in the Louisville office of Ross, Sinclaire Associates, a full-service securities brokerage and investment banking firm. Reached there on Wednesday, he declined to comment.

According to a list of new justice centers built or approved since 1998, Ross, Sinclaire was the financial adviser on 43 of the 60 projects, helping market municipal bonds to finance them. The facilities arm of the Administrative Office of the Courts, which was overseen by Chief Justice Lambert, runs the construction program for new courthouses.

Joseph Lambert, Jr. made headlines earlier this month because his girlfriend, Joanna Cruz, was hired for a human resources job at the AOC that was not advertised. She and Lambert's son moved from Texas to Kentucky in January 2008.

All the contracts for new courthouses are decided by local Project Development Boards, a group of people from the community that is chaired by the county judge-executive. The board also has an AOC representative and makes many of the decisions involved with courthouse construction. The AOC sets all design and construction standards and oversees financing for the projects.

AOC Director Jason Nemes deferred all questions to Ross, Sinclaire.

Joseph Lambert Jr. started at the Louisville office of Ross, Sinclaire in February, said Murray Sinclaire, co-founder and CEO of the company.

"We get resumes all the time, we're always looking to expand, and he was one of many," Sinclaire said. "His dad, whom I don't know, had nothing to do with it."

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Comments

[Interesting]

Go look at Pacer at a lawsuit filed yesterday against Lambert in civil action 3:08-CV-231-M in the Western District of Federal Court of Kentucky.

[Pam]

Not a very strong link to courthouses!!!

[MRNLex]

Lambert ane Scott are an embarrassment to the court and the other Judges on the Supreme Court. They should be reprimanded and forced to resign. Governor Beshear should not turn a blind eye to this. He needs to get rid of both of these guys NOW.

[MRN shows its ignorance]

MRNLex, you ignorant (SNL reference to Jane deleted...)

The executive (Beshear) has no authority to intervene in the judiciary other than to choose replacements to serve in vacant positions until the next election. Beshear can do nothing about Will T. Scott.

And Lambert has already announced his retirement. Or did you miss that while you were snorting another Oxycontin?

As for this story -- it's a non-story. Ross Sinclaire & Associates has been bonding government projects in KY for decades. They did business with the state before Young Mr. Lambert joined and they will do business with the state long after Young Mr. Lambert has moved on.

[Pam]

That last comment made was entirely correct.
Chief Justice Lambert's son just now started
working for Ross Sinclaire & assoc. so he hasn't had much to do with courthouse projects. Seems like people has too much time on their hands and these comments apparently are not from anyone remotely connected with the Judice System because some of these comments being made about Chief Justice Lambert are way off the wall.

[Interesting]

Pam, how much do you get paid to cheerlead for Lambert, Nemes and AOC?

[MRN]

C'mon you Lambert croonies - you probably work for the crook. Yeah he HAD to resign or did you miss the news as to his utter and total corruption. We'll see what happens in his Federal Civil case.

Anyone can be taken off the court if their convicted of fraud and wind up in jail. I'll bet you guys would be showing up at the prison asking Joe what to do next. Read the Judicial Cannon and you'll learn that Judges are supposed to behave with honor. When they don't they get thrown off. I think the Judiciary need to get rid of these guys. I can't think of a worse example other than Will T. Scott as to corruption on the court.

His one son's girlfriend gets a job in the courts (maybe you missed that article) and the other gets a job with the finance company who pays for all Lambert's courthouses. Anyone can figure out what is happening there. Will T. Scott sells his property to AOC and his family sells their property too. Do you think taxpayers are idiots? There spending taxpayer's money making money.

I think there is plenty here for Governor Beshear to file a Judicial complaint and send
Lambert and Scott back where they belong.

If he doesn't the voters will.

Sounds to me and everyone else that you're clueless.

[Interesting]

My hope is that the next chief justice restores integrity to AOC amd the judicial system. Otherwise there are going to be more lawsuits requesting injunctive relief to force the Ky courts to enforce its own rules.

[MRN]

Thank you Interesting. I agree. The entire system needs to be revised in that it is impossible for any group to self govern themselves. These Justices certainly don't uphold the honor system.

[Do it yourself, clown]

MRN, if you are convinced that Scott and Lambert are so corrupt, why don't you file the complaint yourself? You are just as qualified and eligible to do so as Beshear.

To the first poster -- for those of us who don't have access to PACER, why not post the gist of the lawsuit? Seems like I remember that PACER is a paid service and I'm not about to put out good money, what with gas as expensive as it is thanks to the Democrats' anti-energy policies that won't allow us to drill for oil right here in the US, to read your wild innuendo.

[Interesting]

To Clown,

Why are your knickers in a knot? Is Lambert & Crew realizing that the buzzards are finally coming home to roost?

The Bible says whatever is done in secret will be revealed. The few little tidbits over the past few days are just the tip of the iceberg to come.

And just so you know. . . .Lambert is about as much a republican in truth as Stumbo is a democrat. The two should get together and form their own political party and call it the "Help ourselves party". That is, lets help ourselves as the taxpayers expense. It is time for republicans and democrats alike to call for ethics reform throughout each of the governmental branches.

[Interesting]

And for everyone else; the suit is against Lambert, Judge Lewis Nicholls, Judge Larry Thompson, the Judicial Conduct Commission and the Kentucky Bar Association.