Meet Judge Jason Fleming

Candidate for Kentucky Court of Appeals Judge

Judge Jason Shea Fleming is married to his high school sweetheart, Hon. Tonya Hightower Fleming who is a licensed attorney and previously served as a public defender in Trigg, Caldwell and Lyon counties for 10 years. She is now the Human Resources Manager at Higgins Insurance in Hopkinsville. They have two children, Brady and Magen.

Judge Fleming is the son of retired Christian County Magistrate Jim Fleming and Janice Morrow Fleming. His brother, James Fleming, is a retired Captain at the Hopkinsville Fire Department and current works as a pharmacy technician and is married to Jenny Melton Fleming. His other brother, Jeffrey Fleming, has passed away.

Judge Fleming reading the U.S. Constitution
with other dignitaries on Constitution Day

Judge Fleming serves as Circuit Judge, Family Court, Division 3 of the 3rd Judicial Circuit, which consists of Christian County. Before his election to the circuit bench in November 2006, Judge Fleming was assistant Christian County attorney from 1998 to 2006. He also served as the director of Christian County Juvenile Services and as a volunteer for the Christian County Juvenile Drug Court from 2000 to 2006. Judge Fleming was in private practice with Thomas, Arvin & Fleming in Hopkinsville from 1997 to 2000 and had a solo practice from 2000 to 2003. He was the Music Minister at Living Hope Baptist Church in Hopkinsville for nearly 4 years.

Judge Fleming holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Kentucky and a juris doctor from the UK College of Law, where he graduated cum laude and member of the Order of the Coif (Top 10% of his law school class). He was articles editor for the Kentucky Law Journal and chair of the hearing committee on the UK College of Law Honor Council from 1996 to 1997.

Judge Fleming was named the 2023 J. David Rosenberg University of Kentucky College of Law Distinguished Jurist Award. He was a recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Judge Award given by the Kentucky Citizens Foster Care Review Board. In addition, he was named the 2011 Outstanding Young Lawyer by the Kentucky Bar Association’s Young Lawyers’ Section. He is also a recipient of the Kentucky Bar Association’s CLE Recognition Award and Pro Bono Award, both of which he has received multiple times. He is one of very few prosecutors to receive the Kentucky Public Advocate Award, presented to him in 2006 by the Department of Public Advocacy. He also received the 2007 Meritorious Service Award from the Christian County Juvenile Drug Court. Judge Fleming also received the Advocate for Children Award from the Christian County Child Abuse Council in 2010.

One of the published articles by Judge Fleming.
This one was in scholarly journal *Judicature*.

Judge Fleming has authored numerous journal articles and has presented nearly 75 different educational programs for judges and lawyers including presentations at Kentucky Prosecutors Conferences, Kentucky County Attorneys Conferences, CLE seminars statewide and the Kentucky Bar Association Annual Meeting. Judge Fleming has also presented educational programs nationally for the Child Welfare League of America and the National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ). Judge Fleming currently serves as a representative on the Circuit Judges’ Continuing Education Committee and formerly on the Kentucky AOC Education Oversight Committee.

Judge Fleming also serves on the NCJFCJ’s Military Committee and the KBA’s Child Protection and Domestic Violence Committee. In addition, he is on several technology committees with the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) looking to improve the technology and access to justice within the Court system. He has also served on the Kentucky AOC’s legislative committee since 2013.

He is a past president of the Hopkinsville-Christian County Jaycees and Big Brothers-Big Sisters of the Southern Pennyrile. Judge Fleming is past vice president of the Kentucky State Jaycees and he served as the organization’s legal counsel for six years. He was chairman of the board of the Housing Authority of Hopkinsville for six years which provided roughly 10% of the total housing in Hopkinsville at the time and chairman of the board of Westwood Senior Homes for two years. He has also served on the Kentucky Baptist Association’s Constitution and Bylaws Committee.

“To be a good Court of Appeals judge, one must approach justice with wisdom, discernment, and a commitment to upholding the principles of fairness. Serving as the first level of review of the Circuit Court, a Court of Appeals judge is entrusted with the responsibility of interpreting the law, rectifying errors, and ensuring that the scales of justice remain finely balanced. In this pivotal role, every decision seeks the truth and the preservation of justice for every litigant before the Court.” -Judge Jason Fleming

Judge Fleming’s Resume

EDUCATION:

· J.D. Cum Laude--University of Kentucky College of Law

Graduated 12^th out of 145 students (8.2 percentile)

Graduated May 1997 Order of Coif (Top 10%)

· B.A.--University of Kentucky with honors in Political Science and History

Graduated May 1994

· Hopkinsville High School

Graduated May 1990

PERSONAL:

· Married, Tonya Hightower Fleming

· Son, Owen Brady Fleming

· Daughter, Magen Shea Fleming

· Parents: Jim and Janice Fleming, Hopkinsville

· Member and Former Volunteer Music Minister: Living Hope Baptist Church

PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS:

· Admitted Kentucky Bar Association, 1997

· Admitted U.S. District Court for Western District of Kentucky, 1998

· Member American Bar Association

· Member Kentucky Bar Association

· Member Christian County Bar Association

· Kentucky Bar Association CLE Award(2000, 2008-present)

· Kentucky Bar Association Pro Bono Award, multiple years

· CLE Chair Christian County Bar Assoc. 1999-2000

· Member New Lawyers Division (multiple years)

· Sole Practice, Jason Shea Fleming, Attorney at Law, PLLC, 2000-2003

· Partner, THOMAS, ISON & FLEMING, 1998-1999

· Partner, THOMAS, ARVIN & FLEMING, 1999-2000

· Assistant County Attorney, Criminal Division Christian County, 1998-2006

· Assistant County Attorney, Civil and Administrative Division, Christian County,

Director of Juvenile Services, 2000-2006

· Circuit Judge, Christian County Family Court, 2007-present

· Recipient of 2006 Public Advocate Award for State of Kentucky (at the time the only prosecutor to get this award from the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy)

· Recipient of 2007 Meritorious Service Award for the Christian County Juvenile Drug Court

· Recipient of 2010 Advocate for Children Award from the Christian County Child Abuse Council

· Committee member on panel advising the Department of Community Based Services on the education and training of its social workers and staff, 2009-present.

· Circuit Judge representative on the Circuit Judges’ Continuing Education Committee, 2010-present.

· Member of the Circuit Judges’ Committee on Child Fatalities, 2010-2018

· Appointed by Kentucky Chief Justice John Minton to the KY AOC Continuing Education, Oversight Committee, 2011-2014

· Recipient of 2011 Outstanding Young Lawyer for the State of Kentucky by the Kentucky Bar Association’s Young Lawyers’ Section

· Member of the Military Committee of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, 2011-present.

· Member of the Child Protection and Domestic Violence Committee of the Kentucky Bar Association, 2011-present.

· Member of the Family Court Rules Committee for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, appointed by Kentucky Supreme Court, 2012-present.

· Testified before Kentucky General Assembly, House Judiciary Committee, on the issue of open courts, February, 2012.

· Member of the Legislative Committee for the Administrative Office of the Courts for Kentucky, 2013-present.

· Member of the Kentucky Chief Justice’s Task Force on Reopening During and After Covid, 2020-21.

· Recipient of 2023 Outstanding Judge by the Kentucky Citizens Foster Care Review Board.

· Recipient of the 2023 J. David Rosenberg UK College of Law Distinguished Jurist Award.

· Member of the Kentucky AOC Technology Committee, 2023-present

· Member of the Kentucky AOC Redaction Committee, 2023-present

· Member of the Kentucky Supreme Court Taskforce on Mental Health, DNA Sub-Committee.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:

· Leadership Hopkinsville-Christian County, 1998-99

· Chairman of the Board, Hopkinsville-Christian County Jaycees, 2004-2006.

· President, Hopkinsville-Christian County Jaycees, 2003

· Management Development V-P, Hopkinsville-Christian County Jaycees, 1998

· Membership Development V-P, Hopkinsville-Christian County Jaycees, 1999

· Community Development V-P, Hopkinsville-Christian County Jaycees, 2001

· Individual Development V-P, Hopkinsville-Christian County Jaycees, 2002

· Member, Hopkinsville Christian County Jaycees, 1998-2010.

· State Legal Counsel, Kentucky State Jaycees, 2000-2006

· State Membership Vice-President, Kentucky State Jaycees, 2004

· Board of Directors, Kentucky State Jaycees, 2000-2006.

· Secretary, Kentucky Jaycees Foundation, Inc., 2001-2002

· Board of Directors, Kentucky Jaycees Foundation, Inc., 2001-2007.

· Tenth Degree Jaycee.

· Vice-Chair, Westwood Senior Homes, 2002-2005 (providing 48 units of low income housing to senior citizens in our community)

· Chair, Westwood Senior Homes, 2005-2007.

· Co-founder, Christian County Community League (formerly Christian County Community Safety Task Force), 2005

· Member of Christian County Kiwanis, 2002-2003

· President-Elect, Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Christian County, 2001

· President Big Brothers-Big Sisters of the Southern Pennyrile, 2002

· Board of Directors, Big Brothers-Big Sisters of the Southern Pennyrile, 1999-2004

· Co-chair, 2001 Bowl for Kids Sake, Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Christian County, 2000-2001

· Board of Directors, Heart of Hopkinsville, 2001-2004

· Board of Directors, Christian County Juvenile Services Foundation, 2001-2006

· President, Christian County Juvenile Services Foundation, 2001-2006.

· Board of Commissioners, Housing Authority of Hopkinsville, 1999-2006.

· Vice-Chair, Housing Authority of Hopkinsville, 2000-2001

· Chair, Housing Authority of Hopkinsville, 2001-2006. (a multi-million dollar public service corporation providing low income housing for about one-tenth of the city of Hopkinsville, Kentucky)

· Vice-President, Christian County Youth Advisory Council, 2002

· Board of Directors, Child Abuse Council, 2001-2006

· Board of Directors, Pennyrile Child Advocacy Center, 2001-2006.

· Board of Directors, Christian County Youth Advisory Council, 2001-2006.

· Vice-President, Christian County Youth Advisory Council, 2002

· Board of Directors of Dream Factory of Hopkinsville, 2000-2003

· Treatment Team, Christian County Juvenile Drug Court, 2001-2006.

· Humane Society, Member, 2001-2006.

· Hopkinsville-Christian County Street Crimes Task Force, 2002-2003, 2005

· Member of the RETS Medical and Business Institute’s PAC Board, 2002-2003

· United Way, Member of Recruiting Team for Professional Division, 1998-2000

· Interim Coordinator, Christian County Teen Court, 1999

· Member, City of Hopkinsville, Cable Franchise Authority Oversight Committee, 1998-99

· Advisory Board of Directors, Southern Kentucky Independent Theatre, 1997-2013

· Attorney Volunteer, Christian County Teen Court,1998-2004

· Community Reader, Christian County Literacy Council, several years

· Guest Lecturer at Hopkinsville High School (several times), Christian County Middle School, Morningside Elementary School (several times), Belmont Elementary School (several times), RETS Medical Institute (several times), Heritage Christian Academy (several times).

· Judge and Proctor, Governor’s Cup Academic Team, 2020-present

· Past Chair, Hopkinsville High School, Class of 1990 Reunion Committee

· Christian County Law Enforcement Grant Committee, 1998-2006.

· Assistant Music Director, Trinity Baptist Church, 1998

· Assistant Moderator, Trinity Baptist Church, 1998

· Assistant Sunday School Teacher, Trinity Baptist, 1998

· Organized community effort to send two trucks of supplies sent to Mississippi for Hurricane Katrina Relief, 2005.

· Presented at various schools on legal issues and family issues.

· Music Minster, Living Hope Baptist Church, 2010-2014

SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENTS:

· Articles Editor of Kentucky Law Journal

· Hearing Committee Chair Law School Honor Council

· Order of the Coif (top 10% of law school class)

· Law School Orientation Leader

· Member of the University Traffic Appeals Committee

· 1995-97 Recipient of an Academic Excellence Scholarship

· Best Brief--Gilliam Club 1994-95

· Book Award for Top Student in Property I, 1995

· Book Award for Top Student in Criminal Procedure, 1996

· Book Award for Top Student in Uniform Commercial Code, 1996

· Book Award for Top Student in Conflicts of Laws, 1997

· Member of UK Student Bar Association and Noon Forum Committee

· Member of Phi Delta Phi Legal Fraternity

· Member of American Bar Association Student Division

· Golden Key National Honor Society

· 1994 recipient of the Amry and Mary Belle Vandenbosh Award for outstanding paper in Constitutional Law

· 1994 recipient of the Maurice A. Clay Award for Arts and Sciences for outstanding leadership and service to the University of Kentucky (only 1 of 8-10,000 Arts and Sciences Students)

· Dean's List--Fall 1992

· Co-authored/researched paper with Dr. Bradley Canon

· Co-presented paper at the American Political Science Association's National Conference, 1994

· Teaching Assistant in PS 461 (Am. Civil Lib.), Fall 1993

· Legislative Intern for Speaker Pro Tem Larry Clark in Frankfort in Spring 1994

· Paper with Dr. Canon presented at the Western Political Science Association's Annual Conference

· Paper presented at Kentucky Political Science Association

· Member American Political Science Association, 1992-94

COLLEGE ACHIEVEMENTS:

· UK University Studies Committee

· Political Science Undergraduate Committee

· Resident Advisor (Fall 1991-Spring 1993)

· Senator in Student Government Association (1992-1993)

· Member Societas Pro Legibus (honorary)

· Member of Pi Sigma Alpha (honorary)

· Arts and Sciences Dean's Council--Fall 1992

· Fall Orientation Leader--Fall 1991

· Team UK Student Recruitment--Spring 1991

· UK Overnight Student Recruitment--Spring 1991

· Member UK Marching Band--1991

· Representative of UK on Wheel of Fortune-1991

PUBLICATIONS:

· “Justice Frankfurter and Justice Reed: friendship and lobbying on the Court, co-authored with Dr. Bradley Canon and Kimberly Greenfield, Judicature, vol. 7, No. 5, March-April 1995, p. 224

· “Justice Frankfurter and Justice Reed: friendship and lobbying on the Court,”co-authored with Dr. Bradley Canon and Kimberly Greenfield, reprinted in Judicial Politics: Readings from Judicature, 2nd ed., Elliot E. Slotnick, ed., p. 387 (1999)

· “Kentucky Guide for Prosecutors on the Revisions to the DUI Law, 2000” co-authored, Attorney General’s Office of Kentucky (2000)

· “Tuesdays and Thursdays with Brad”, University of Kentucky Department of Political Science Magazine, 2005.

· Several chapters in the Kentucky Circuit Judges’ Bench Book, 2010-present

· “Civil to Criminal Reforms on Stalking: A History and Recommendation for Model Responses,” Co-authored with Carol E. Jordan and LaKeysha Singleton, National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges-Journal of Family Law, December, 2021.

· “Who Should Present Child Welfare Cases in Kentucky?”, Co-authored with Jennifer L. Brinkley: Kentucky Bench and Bar; March/April, 2022.

· Two Articles of “Views From the Bench” for the Kentucky Young Lawyers’ Section Newsletter.

· Most of the CLE/CJE Presentations below also had corresponding publications as well.

· Various newspaper articles on Charles Schulz and the Peanuts comic strip.

CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION/CONTINUING JUDICIAL EDUCATION PRESENTATIONS:

Presentation on DUI Law—Basic Training for Newly Elected County Attorneys, 2003

Several Presentations on DUI Law to prosecutors and attorney’s across Kentucky, 2001-04

Several Presentations on Juvenile Law—Kentucky Prosecutor’s Conference, 2001-06

Panel Member on the Effect of Domestic Violence on Children—2005 Kentucky Bar Association Annual Conference

Presentation on “Child Abuse—the Blue Ribbon Panel Report”, 2007 Circuit Judges’ College

Presentation on Child Abuse—Kentucky Regional Summit on Children for Western Kentucky, 2007

Presentation on the “Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act,” Christian County Bar Association, 2008.

Panel Member at Young Lawyers Conference, “Views from the Bench,” 2008 Kentucky Bar Association Annual Conference.

Presentation on “Christian Family Court, Case Management and Mediation,” Christian County Bar Association, 2009.

Presentation on the “Minefield of Military Issues Arising in Divorce and Custody Disputes,” 2009 Kentucky Bar Association Annual Conference.

Panel Member, “Truth and the Child Witness: Legal and Psychological Strategies Available to Ensure that Child Witnesses are Empowered to Speak Truthfully in Court or in Preparation of Court Cases,” 2009 Kentucky Bar Association Annual Conference.

Presentation on “Orientation on Domestic Violence”, 2010 New Judges’ Orientation.

Panel Member on “Family Law Issues,” 2010 New Judges’ Orientation.

Panel Member on “Evidence Problems in Domestic Relations Cases,” Access to Justice Foundation, 2010.

Panel Member on “The Latest Thinking on How Best to Address Child Maltreatment in Cases Involving Domestic Violence,” 2010 Kentucky Bar Association Annual Conference.

Webinar Presenter on “HB1 Amanda’s Bill,”-two different presentations, one for the Circuit Judges’ Association and one for the District Judges’ Association.

Presentations on “Evaluation of Important Cases in Family Law,” 2010 Mini-Judicial Colleges, presented in Gilbertsville, Bowling Green and Lexington, Kentucky.

Presentations on “The UCCJEA vs. UIFSA,” 2010 Mini-Judicial Colleges, presented in Gilbertsville and Lexington, Kentucky.

Presentation on “New Family Court Rules,” 2010 Mini-Judicial Colleges, presented in Gilbertsville, Kentucky.

Panel Member on “Family Law: Questions and Answers,” 2010 Mini-Judicial Colleges, presented in Gilbertsville and Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Presentation on “The Effect of Amanda’s Bill on Domestic Violence Victims and Their Children,” 2010 Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Annual Conference.

Presentation on “New Family Court Rules and Their Effect on Practice in the Christian Family Court,” Christian County Bar Association, 2011.

Presentation on “Evaluation on Important Cases in Family Law,” 2011 Kentucky Bar Association Annual Conference.

Presentation on “Parental Relocation in Kentucky: A Very ‘Moving’ Experience,” 2011 Circuit Judges’ Fall College.

Presentation with Dr. Kathleen West on “Both Sides of the Gate: Meeting the Needs of Military Children and their Families in Civilian Courts”, Child Welfare League of America, Washington, DC, February 2012.

Presented Webinar with Dr. Kathleen West on “Bridging the Needs of Military Families and the Courts”, National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges, June 2012.

Presentation on “Minefield of Military Issues Arising in Divorce and Custody Disputes”, Northern Kentucky Bar Association, September, 2012.

Presentation on “The Catch-22 of Child Support Enforcement”, Kentucky Circuit Judges’ College, October, 2012.

Presentation on “Family Court Rules Update”, Christian County Bar Association, 2013.

Presentation on “Providing Services to Children in the Military”, Kentucky Bar Association Annual Convention, 2013.

Presentation on “Contempt in Child Support Cases”, Kentucky Prosecutor’s Conference, 2013.

Presentation on “SB200 and New Family Law Forms”, Kentucky District Judges’ College, 2014

TAUGHT 9 COURSES, Kentucky New Judges Orientation, 2014

Presentation on “Family Court Forms”, Kentucky Circuit Judges’ College, 2015.

Presentation on “Misconceptions & Statistics in DNA Court”, Kentucky Circuit Judges’ College, 2015.

Panel Member, “The Color of Money”, 18th Annual AAML Family Law Seminar, 2015.

Panel Member, “Judge’s Panel Discussion on Marital vs. Non-Marital Property”, 17th Annual AAML Family Law Seminar, 2015.

Presentation on “Judicial Training on SB 200”, Bowing Green, Kentucky, 2015.

Presentation on “Judicial Training on SB 200”, Kentucky, 2015.

Panel on “GALs,” Kentucky Bar Association Annual Conference, 2015.

Presentation on “Child Support Legislation”, Kentucky Bar Association Annual Conference, 2015.

Panel on “Kentucky Kinship Care Stakeholders”, Kentucky Youth Advocates Summit, 2015.

Presentation on “SB 200”, Kentucky District Judges College, 2015.

Presentation on “Advanced Technology for Judges,” Kentucky Circuit Judges’ College, 2015.

Presentation on “Both Sides of the Gate: Military Families”, NCJFCJ National Conference on Juvenile Justice, Las Vegas, 2016.

Presentation on “Tempus Fugit: Time Management for Family Court Judges”, Kentucky Circuit Judges’ College, 2016.

Presentation on “Friend of Court: Morgan vs. Getter”, Kentucky Circuit Judges’ College, 2017.

Presentation on “Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault”, Christian County Attorney’s Office Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Summit, 2017.

Presentation on “Ya’ll Aren’t From ‘Round Here: Interstate issues in Family Law”, Kentucky Circuit Judges’ College, 2018.

Presentation on “Dependency, Abuse and Neglect”, Christian County Attorney’s Office Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Summit, 2018.

Presentation on “Pretrial Release, DJJ and P&P”, Kentucky New Judges’ College, 2019.

Presentation on “Role of Judges in Drug Treatment”, RESTORE Summer Summit, 2019.

Presentation on “Strategies for Court”, NCJFCJ Military Committee, 2nd National Summit on Courts and Military Connected Families, 2019.

Presentation on “Military Connected Families and Local Community Teams”, NCJFCJ Military Committee, 2nd National Summit on Courts and Military Connected Families, 2019.

Panel on “Domestic and Dating Violence”, Christian County Attorney’s Office Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Summit, 2019.

Presentation on “Shared Custody”, Kentucky Circuit Judges’ College, 2019.

Panel on “Questions and Answers on Family Law”, Kentucky Circuit Judges’ College, 2019.

Presentation on “The Courts, DCBS and Citizens’ Foster Care Review Boards”, Collaboration between AOC and DCBS, 2020.

Webinar on “The Courts, DCBS and Citizens’ Foster Care Review Boards”, Collaboration between AOC and DCBS, 2020.

Webinar on “2020 Legislative Update”, Kentucky Circuit Judges’ Association, 2020.

Webinar/Panel on “Domestic Violence and Dating Violence”, Christian County Attorney’s Office Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Summit, 2020.

Webinar, on “ICPC: What is it, When do you use it, and How do we improve it”, NCJFCJ National Virtual Conference, 2020.

Panel on “Judicial Roundtable”, Kentucky Circuit Judges’ College, 2021.

Presentation on “Legislative Update”, Kentucky Circuit Judges’ College, 2021.

Presentation on “DVOS/IPOS a Primer”, Christian County Attorney’s Office Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Summit, 2021.

Webinar on “Crossing State Lines, ICPC”, Collaboration between AOC and DCBS, 2021.

Panel on “Judicial Panel on Interstate and Venue Issues”, AAML and Kentucky Bar Association Family Law Section, Family Law Conference, 2022.

Presentation on “Mindfulness for Judges”, 2022 Kentucky New Judges’ College.

Presentation on the “Basics of Domestic Violence, Interpersonal Violence, Stalking and Sexual Assault”, 2022 Kentucky New Judges’ College.

Presentation on “Dependency, Abuse and Neglect and the ICPC”, 2022 Kentucky New Judges’ College.

Presentation on “Use of the Internet to Protect Domestic Violence and Interpersonal Violence Victims”, 2022 Christian County Attorney’s Summit on Domestic Violence, Interpersonal Violence, Stalking and Sexual Assault.

Facilitated and Moderated several programs for Kentucky’s Administrative Office of the Court, 2007-present.

Presentation on “The Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children (the ICPC), What is it and How to use it.”, 2023 Kentucky Circuit Judges College

Facilitator of a question and answer with the leadership of the Department of Community Based Services and the Circuit Judges, 2023 Kentucky Circuit Judges College.

Panel on “Domestic Violence and the Military Webinar”, NCJFCJ, 2023