Contact: Melissa Forsythe
502-564-2611
Sept. 4, 1997
Frankfort--Governor Paul Patton has selected an Eastern Kentucky lawyer to serve as a Special Justice to the Kentucky Supreme Court. Cynthia E. Elliott, of Jackson, in Breathitt County, will sit as Special Justice for a case the Kentucky Supreme Court is scheduled to hear September 24th, 1997, Floyd County Board of Education ; Stephen Towler, Superintendent; Eddie Patton, Member; Robert Isaac, Member, and Brent Clark, Member v.Wayne Ratliffe, Tommy Thompson, and Pete Grigsby.
Elliott, currently a directing attorney with Appalachian Research and Defense, helps low-income clients deal with legal problems involving matters such as family law, public assistance, and unemployment.
Her past work experience includes staff attorney to union auto workers in Detroit, attorney with Legal Aid in Detroit, and field investigator for the Kentucky Commission on Human Rights in Louisville.
Elliott received her undergraduate and law degrees from Wayne State University in Michigan.
She's a member of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence, President of the Jackson, Kentucky Foster Parents Association, and member of the Kentucky Bar Association.
Elliott is the first African-American woman appointed to serve as Special Justice to the Kentucky Supreme Court.