Lisa Payne Jones is seeking reelection as Daviess County Circuit Court Judge for Division 2, a position she has held since 2019.
In December 2001, Jones was appointed to the District Court bench to serve out the remainder of Judge Gene Lanham’s unexpired term. She was then elected to the same position in 2002 and served there until 2019, when she was elected to serve as Circuit Judge for Division 2.
“I have been a judge in Daviess County for over 20 years now,” Jones said. “I bring experience to the bench, but I also believe that the judiciary should always be willing to change when change can bring about better service to the public and bring us closer to the ideal of ‘justice for all.’ In my time on the bench, I believe I have used my position to bring about positive change.”
As a District Judge, Jones presided over Daviess County’s Juvenile Drug Court. Since moving to Circuit Court, she has presided over the county’s Adult Drug Court.
“For the last several years I have worked extensively with the Daviess County Attorney’s Office, River Valley Behavioral Health, Owensboro Health Regional Hospital and many other local entities to create a Mental Health Court for our community,” Jones said. “Together we have developed a cutting-edge model for early intervention, assessment and treatment. I am also currently working with River Valley Behavioral Health to implement Tim’s Law services in our community, which would provide court-monitored outpatient mental health treatment to individuals who do not have criminal charges but have a history of noncompliance with treatment and pose a severe danger to themselves or others.”
She noted that in light of the COVID pandemic, she’s worked to expand remote access to court proceedings in her division, and “to increase the use of felony mediation to resolve the growing backlog of cases that resulted in the suspension of jury trials for over a year.”
“A judge must respect the law, the parties, and the attorneys who appear before them,” Jones said. “But a judge must also be a problem-solver, a community partner, a teacher, and most importantly, a good listener. I may hear cases, but I also hear the needs of the people in front of me; and I do my best to help our court system, locally and statewide to meet those needs and improve justice and equity under the law.”
Jones has been awarded for her judiciary work a number of times. In 2009, she was recognized by the Kentucky Court of Justice for her contributions to law-related education and her work on the statewide Court Improvement Committee.
She also received appointments to the Juvenile Justice Task Force and to the Juvenile Justice Oversight Council from both Democratic and Republican governors. The Task Force helped with the passage of Senate Bill 200 — Kentucky’s landmark juvenile justice reform — which the Oversight Commission has implemented. In 2015 Jones received the Chief Justice’s Special Service Award for her work on juvenile justice reform.
Jones is a Daviess County native and a graduate of Owensboro Catholic High School and Brescia University. She later graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law. After a few years in private practice, she joined the Daviess County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office where she practiced until she was appointed to the District Court bench.
She is married to Greg Jones, an Owensboro native and graduate of Daviess County High School and Kentucky Wesleyan College. They have two children, Will and Annie.
“I truly love the opportunity I’ve been given to serve Daviess County as a judge,” Jones said. “I love what I do. I love the changes I’ve been able to make that improve access to justice. I love working with community partners whose vision keeps me inspired, motivated and hopeful. I look forward to building on what we’ve started and discovering the next challenge that awaits.”
