William Graves

John William "Bill" Graves (born October 17, 1935) is a former justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court, serving from 1995 to 2006.

Early life Graves graduated from St. Mary High School in Paducah, Kentucky. He then attended the University of Notre Dame on a scholarship. Both Graves and Donahue graduated in 1957. Jones appointed retired circuit court judge William Fuqua to fill the vacancy, but Fuqua said he would not be a candidate in the special election. Graves was one of six candidates in the special election for the remainder of Spain's term.

At the expiration of Spain's unexpired term, Graves announced he would seek re-election. Rick Johnson, a justice of the Kentucky Court of Appeals and a challenger from the 1995 special election, also sought the seat.

In 2004, Graves announced he would not seek another term on the court, but later changed his mind. For the third time in as many elections, Johnson was one of Graves' opponents, along with Circuit Judge Bill Cunningham. Graves refused to accept campaign donations, and in March 2006, just ahead of the nonpartisan May primary, he announced he would withdraw from the race, citing an unwillingness to invest enough time and money to make a competitive race.