2026 Hall of Fame Inductee Phillip Patton Class of 1973

Judge Phillip Patton was born in Johnson County in 1946. His family moved to Lexington when he was in elementary school and he graduated from Bryan Station High School in 1964. He attended the University of Kentucky where he received BA, MA, and JD, graduating from law school in 1973. After serving as staff attorney with the Legislative Research Commission for two years, he engaged in private practice in Glasgow, Kentucky, until becoming Commonwealth’s Attorney for the 43rd Circuit in 1993. He was twice elected without opposition.

Patton served as president of the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Association and led the successful effort to convert Commonwealth’s Attorneys offices to full-time positions. He served on the Prosecutors Advisory Council and received the Carroll M. Redford Award from the Commonwealth Attorneys Association and was named Prosecutor of the Year by the Attorney General.

In 2001, Patton became Circuit Judge and was elected three times without opposition. He was awarded The Distinguished Jurist Award in 2010. While serving as Circuit Judge, he served six years on the UK Board of Trustees.

Since retirement in 2015, Patton has been named Special Judge in some 30 counties and presided over dozens of cases ranging from child custody to capital murder. By assignment of the Chief Justice, he has resolved hundreds of felony cases by mediation. He was awarded the Chief Justice’s Special Service Award in 2021 for his work since retirement. In 2024 the Alumni Association presented Judge Patton with its Legacy Award.