Justice William E. McAnulty Jr.

McANULTY, JUSTICE WILLIAM E. JR., 59, passed away peacefully Thursday night, August 23, 2007 at his home in Louisville. Born in Indianapolis in 1947, Justice McAnulty received his bachelor's degree from Indiana University, and his master's degree in education and Juris Doctorate from the University of Louisville. He served on the boards of Overseers at both the University of Louisville and Spalding, was a member of the Commission on the Future of Butler University in Indianapolis, IN. The first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of Kentucky, Justice McAnulty began his judicial career as a Jefferson County Juvenile Court judge in 1975. He was elected to Jefferson District Court in November 1977. He served briefly as Secretary of the Justice Cabinet in the Brown Administration then returned to District Court where he served until his election to Jefferson Circuit Court in November 1983. He re-entered private practice in January 1990 as a partner at Greenebaum Doll & McDonald and returned to the circuit court in 1993 where he later served as chief judge until elected to the Kentucky Court of Appeals in November 1998. He was appointed to the Kentucky Supreme Court on June 28, 2006 to fill the position vacated by retiring Justice Martin E. Johnstone and was elected to retain the position in November 2006. Justice McAnulty received numerous awards for outstanding service to the judiciary and to his community. The awards included the Henry V. Pennington Outstanding Judge of the Year Award, the Louisville Bar Association Judge of the Year Award, the Thomas C. Simons Leadership Award, and Metro United Way's Allen Society Leadership Award. He received the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville and was an honorary member of the Golden Key National Honor Society. He was recognized by the AFL-CIO through their Community Service Award. Justice McAnulty was named an outstanding alumnus of the Phi Alpha Delta Vincent Chapter and was a recipient of the Lawrence S. Grauman Award from the Brandeis School of Law. He was also Adult Achiever of the Year in 1992 for the YMCA's Black Achieve program. Bill's community service included chairing Learning Matters, Inc. which received a Peabody Award for outstanding PBS documentary. He also served as chair of Metro United Way, president of Bridgehaven, and the Renaissance Development Corporation, chair of the Board of Hospice, and chair of the Minority Recruitment Committee of the Brandeis School of Law. He was president of Kentucky Youth Advocates and cofounder of the Children in Placement Project, an external foster care citizen review program. He was a member of the Commission on Juvenile Justice, a member of the Hubert Humphrey Foundation in Minneapolis, MN, Board Member of Leadership Louisville and a member of the advisory board to the former YWCA Spouse Abuse Center. His mother, Ann Moss McAnulty preceded him in death in 1993. He is survived by his wife, Kristi; and his four children, Patrick, Katheryn, Will and Shannon; his father, William E. McAnulty Sr.; and his stepmother, Augusta; his two sisters, the Rev. Jean McAnulty Smith and Patricia McAnulty; and his niece, Kelly Moss Lamm. Memorial services will be held 1:30 p.m. Monday at Highland Presbyterian Church, 1011 Cherokee Road. A reception and visitation will follow the service at the church. His son Patrick and daughter Kate will host a reception 4-7 p.m. Sunday. Cremation was chosen by the family in accordance with Bill's wishes with burial later in Cave Hill Cemetery. A.D. Porter & Son is handling arrangements. There also will be a public ceremony at the rotunda of the Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort in early September which will be announced. The family requests that expressions of sympathy be made in the form of contributions to Hospice or to the Justice William E. McAnulty Jr. Scholarship Fund at the Brandeis School of Law, University of Louisville Foundation, Louisville, KY 40292.