Opinion ID: 2541918
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The AOC

Text: The Appellants, in the course of these proceedings, have argued that King and Judge Winchester were employees of the AOC or that the AOC was, at least, the proper entity to defend the Appellants' claims against King and Judge Winchester. It is already established in the immediately preceding section of this opinion that there is no cognizable claim against King under the Board of Claims Act. Therefore, there is no basis for a claim against the AOC on the ground, which it is unnecessary to ultimately decide, that it was King's employer. Next, it is abundantly clear that the AOC is not the employer of circuit judges, such as Judge Winchester. Circuit court judges are elected to their office. Ky. Const. § 117. Circuit court judges' compensation is fixed by the General Assembly. Ky. Const. § 120. Finally, circuit court judges, along with other certain offices, are designated as officers of the Commonwealth in KRS 61.020. The AOC is the staff of the Chief Justice in executing the policies and programs of the Court of Justice. KRS 27A.050. All employees of the AOC serve at the pleasure of the Chief Justice. Id. Because circuit judges are elected and do not serve at the pleasure of the Chief Justice, it is sufficiently clear that a circuit judge is not an employee of the AOC. This conclusion is further confirmed by the fact that a circuit court judge's compensation is fixed by the General Assembly pursuant to section 120 of the Kentucky Constitution. In contrast, the compensation of employees of the AOC is fixed by the Chief Justice. KRS 27A.050. These statutory differences render it clear that a circuit judge is not an employee of the AOC. [9] Thus, under the facts of this case, there was no jurisdiction in the Board of Claims for a claim against the AOC. It was not an actor in the situation giving rise to the claim, nor was it the employer of any actor in the situation giving rise to the claim.