Hon. David Nicholson

The Honorable David L. Nicholson, a lifelong resident of Jefferson County/Louisville, Ky., was elected Jefferson County Circuit Court Clerk in 2006 and re-elected in 2012, 2018 and 2024. The Office of the Circuit Court Clerk is a constitutional office within the Kentucky Court of Justice, responsible for serving as the official custodian of records of the Circuit, Family and District courts. Jefferson County’s Circuit Court Clerk’s Office serves the largest jurisdiction in Kentucky’s unified court system and its only true urban court system, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The office has annual revenue of approximately $27.4 million and employs 276 deputy clerks. In 2024 alone, the office processed 119,378 new court cases across Circuit, Family, and District courts—an average of approximately 330 new cases per day.

Mr. Nicholson is actively engaged in a wide range of local, state and national organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors for Kosair for Kids and is the Ex Officio Librarian of the Jefferson County Public Law Library, where he also sits on the Board of Trustees. A past President of both the Kentucky Association of Circuit Court Clerks and the Kentucky Association of Counties, he continues to serve on the boards of both organizations. Nationally, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Counties, where he holds several key leadership roles, including Chair of the Audit Committee, Vice Chair of the Courts and Corrections Subcommittee under the Justice and Public Safety Steering Committee, and member of the Large Urban County Caucus.

Prior to becoming Circuit Court Clerk, Mr. Nicholson served as the Executive Director of the Louisville Metro Criminal Justice Commission from 1998 to 2006.