XIII, Sec. 27 Authorization for drug court judges and new drug courts

Before a judge can run a drug court, they need to get approval first. The judge has to send a request by email to a specific court address, and the Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court decides whether to approve it. If the request is approved, the Chief Justice signs an official order that gives the judge legal authority to handle drug court cases.

Once a judge is approved, the court system's Specialty Courts office steps in to help. They provide training to both the judge and the staff who will work in the drug court. This makes sure everyone involved understands how drug court works and what their job requires before cases start moving through the program.