United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
Encyclopedia
The United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky (in case citation
s, W.D. Ky.) is the federal district court for the western part of the state of Kentucky
.
Appeals from the Western District of Kentucky are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
(except for patent
claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act
, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit
).
counties: Adair
, Allen
, Ballard
, Barren
, Breckinridge
, Bullitt
, Butler
, Caldwell
, Calloway
, Carlisle
, Casey
, Christian
, Clinton
, Crittenden
, Cumberland
, Daviess
, Edmonson
, Fulton
, Graves
, Grayson
, Green
, Hancock
, Hardin
, Hart
, Henderson
, Hickman
, Hopkins
, Jefferson
, Larue
, Livingston
, Logan
, Lyon
, Marion
, Marshall
, McCracken
, McLean
, Meade
, Metcalfe
, Monroe
, Muhlenberg
, Nelson
, Ohio
, Oldham
, Russell
, Simpson
, Spencer
, Taylor
, Todd
, Trigg
, Union
, Warren
, Washington
, and Webster
.
, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789. At the time, Kentucky was not yet a state, but was within the territory of the state of Virginia
. The District was unchanged when Kentucky became a state on June 1, 1792. On February 13, 1801 the Judiciary Act of 1801, 2 Stat. 89, abolished the U.S. district court in Kentucky, but the repeal of this Act restored the District on March 8, 1802, 2 Stat. 132. The District was subdivided into Eastern
and Western Districts on February 12, 1901, by 31 Stat. 781.
and also holds sessions in federal courthouses in Bowling Green
, Owensboro
, and Paducah
. The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
in Cincinnati, Ohio
maintains appellate jurisdiction over the district. Its court in Louisville is located at the Gene Snyder U.S. Courthouse.
is David J. Hale.
}||||Incumbent||–
|-
| Thomas B. Russell
||Bill Clinton
||||||Incumbent||–
|-
|}
There is currently one vacancy on the court due to the decision of Chief Judge Thomas B. Russell
to assume senior status. No replacement nominee is currently pending.
}||||–||reappointment
|-
| Elwood Hamilton
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| Shackelford Miller, Jr.
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| Mac Swinford
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
||||||–||death
|-
| Roy Mahlon Shelbourne
||Harry S. Truman
||||||||death
|-
| Henry Luesing Brooks
||Dwight D. Eisenhower
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| James Fleming Gordon
||Lyndon B. Johnson
||||||||death
|-
| Charles Mengel Allen
||Richard Nixon
||||||||death
|-
| Clifton Rhodes Bratcher
||Richard Nixon
||||||–||death
|-
| Eugene Edward Siler, Jr.
||Gerald Ford
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| Thomas Austin Ballantine, Jr.
||Jimmy Carter
||||||||death
|-
| Ronald Edward Meredith
||Ronald Reagan
||||||–||death
|-
|}
Case citation
Case citation is the system used in many countries to identify the decisions in past court cases, either in special series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a 'neutral' form which will identify a decision wherever it was reported...
s, W.D. Ky.) is the federal district court for the western part of the state of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
.
Appeals from the Western District of Kentucky are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...
(except for patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act
Tucker Act
Through the Tucker Act , the United States government has waived its sovereign immunity with respect to certain lawsuits....
, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
-Vacancies and pending nominations:-List of former judges:-Chief judges:Notwithstanding the foregoing, when the court was initially created, Congress had to resolve which chief judge of the predecessor courts would become the first chief judge...
).
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction includes the following KentuckyKentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
counties: Adair
Adair County, Kentucky
Adair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population is 18,656. Its county seat is Columbia, Kentucky. The county is named for John Adair, then Speaker of the House in Kentucky and later Governor of Kentucky ....
, Allen
Allen County, Kentucky
Allen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population is 19,956. Its county seat is Scottsville, Kentucky. The county is named for Colonel John Allen, who was killed at the Battle of Frenchtown, Michigan during the War of 1812. Allen County is a prohibition or...
, Ballard
Ballard County, Kentucky
Ballard County is a county located in west of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was created by the Kentucky State Legislature in 1842, and is named for Captain Bland Ballard, a soldier, statesman, and member of the Kentucky General Assembly. He was one of the few Kentucky volunteers to survive the...
, Barren
Barren County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,033 people, 15,346 households, and 10,941 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 17,095 housing units at an average density of...
, Breckinridge
Breckinridge County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,648 people, 7,324 households, and 5,309 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,890 housing units at an average density of...
, Bullitt
Bullitt County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 61,236 people, 22,171 households, and 17,736 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 23,160 housing units at an average density of...
, Butler
Butler County, Kentucky
Butler County is a county located in the US state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1810, becoming Kentucky's 53rd county. As of 2000, the population was 13,010. Its county seat is Morgantown, Kentucky. Butler is a prohibition or dry county.- History :...
, Caldwell
Caldwell County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2010, there were 12,984 people, with 6,292 households in the county.-Communities:*Bakers*Baldwin Ford*Black Hawk*The Bluff*Cedar Bluff*Claxton*Cobb*Cresswell*Crider*Crowtown*Enon*Farmersville*Flat Rock*Friendship*Fryer...
, Calloway
Calloway County, Kentucky
Calloway County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1823. As of 2010, the population was 37,191. Its county seat is Murray, Kentucky. The county is named for Colonel Richard Callaway, one of the founders of Boonesborough...
, Carlisle
Carlisle County, Kentucky
Carlisle County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1886 and as of 2000, had a population of 5,351. Its county seat is Bardwell, Kentucky. The county is named for John Griffin Carlisle, a Speaker of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky...
, Casey
Casey County, Kentucky
Casey County is a county located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was formed in 1807. As of 2010, the population was 15,955. Its county seat is Liberty, Kentucky. The county is named for Colonel William Casey. It is the only Kentucky county entirely in Knobs region. Casey County is home to...
, Christian
Christian County, Kentucky
Christian County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1797. As of 2000, its population was 72,265. Its county seat is Hopkinsville, Kentucky...
, Clinton
Clinton County, Kentucky
Clinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1836. As of 2000, the population was 9,634. Its name is in honor of the seventh Governor of New York State, DeWitt Clinton. Its county seat is Albany, Kentucky, and it is a prohibition or dry county...
, Crittenden
Crittenden County, Kentucky
Crittenden County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky.It was formed in 1842. As of 2000, the population was 9,384. Its county seat is Marion. The county is named for John J. Crittenden who was Governor of Kentucky 1848-1850...
, Cumberland
Cumberland County, Kentucky
Cumberland County is a county located in the state of Kentucky in the United States. It was formed in 1799. As of 2000, the population was 7,147. Its county seat is Burkesville, Kentucky...
, Daviess
Daviess County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 91,545 people, 36,033 households, and 24,826 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 38,432 housing units at an average density of...
, Edmonson
Edmonson County, Kentucky
Edmonson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1826. As of 2007, the population was 11,978. It is included in the Bowling Green Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat is Brownsville...
, Fulton
Fulton County, Kentucky
Fulton County is the westernmost county of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1845 from Hickman County, Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 7,752. Its county seat is Hickman. The county is named for American inventor Robert Fulton...
, Graves
Graves County, Kentucky
Graves County is a county located in the U.S. Commonwealth of Kentucky. It was formed in 1824. As of 2000, the population was 37,028. Its county seat is Mayfield. The county is named for Major Benjamin Franklin Graves, soldier in the War of 1812...
, Grayson
Grayson County, Kentucky
Grayson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1810. As of 2000, the population was 24,053. Its county seat is Leitchfield. The county is named for William Grayson , a Revolutionary War colonel and a prominent Virginia political figure...
, Green
Green County, Kentucky
Green County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1793. As of 2000, the population was 11,518. Its county seat is Greensburg. The county is named for Nathanael Greene...
, Hancock
Hancock County, Kentucky
Hancock County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1829. As of 2000, the population was 8,392. It is included in the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its county seat is Hawesville. The county is named for John Hancock...
, Hardin
Hardin County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 94,174 people, 34,497 households, and 25,355 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 37,673 housing units at an average density of...
, Hart
Hart County, Kentucky
Hart County is a county located in the U.S. state — or, more correctly, "Commonwealth" — of Kentucky. It was formed in 1819. , the population was 17,445. Its county seat is Munfordville. The county is named for Captain Nathaniel G. S. Hart, a Kentucky militia officer in the War of 1812...
, Henderson
Henderson County, Kentucky
Henderson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1799. As the latest census data update of 2010, the population was counted 46,250. The county seat is the City of Henderson. The county was named for Colonel Richard Henderson who originally purchased of land...
, Hickman
Hickman County, Kentucky
Hickman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1822. The elevation in the county ranges from to above sea level. As of 2000, the population was 5,262. Its county seat is Clinton. It is the least densely populated county in the state and is a prohibition or...
, Hopkins
Hopkins County, Kentucky
Hopkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1807. As of 2000, the population was 46,519. Its county seat is Madisonville. The county is named for General Samuel Hopkins, an officer in both the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, and later a Kentucky legislator...
, Jefferson
Jefferson County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 693,604 people, 287,012 households, and 183,113 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 305,835 housing units at an average density of...
, Larue
LaRue County, Kentucky
LaRue County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is included in the Elizabethtown, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 13,373. Its county seat is Hodgenville...
, Livingston
Livingston County, Kentucky
Livingston County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 9,804. Its county seat is Smithland. The county is named for Robert R. Livingston...
, Logan
Logan County, Kentucky
Logan County is a county located in the southwest area of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 26,573. Its county seat is Russellville...
, Lyon
Lyon County, Kentucky
Lyon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 8,080. Its county seat is Eddyville. Created from Caldwell County, Kentucky in 1854, the county was named for former Congressman Chittenden Lyon....
, Marion
Marion County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,212 people, 6,613 households, and 4,754 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 7,277 housing units at an average density of...
, Marshall
Marshall County, Kentucky
Marshall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 30,125. The 2007 Census Bureau population estimate was 31,258. Its county seat is Benton. It was a dry county until 2004, when residents of Calvert City voted to allow sales of liquor by the drink in...
, McCracken
McCracken County, Kentucky
McCracken County is a county located in the Jackson Purchase, the extreme western end of the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 65,514. The county seat, largest city, and only incorporated community is Paducah....
, McLean
McLean County, Kentucky
McLean County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky; its population was 9,938 in the 2000 Census. McLean County's county seat is at Calhoun....
, Meade
Meade County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 26,349 people, 9,470 households, and 7,396 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 10,293 housing units at an average density of...
, Metcalfe
Metcalfe County, Kentucky
Metcalfe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 10,037. Its county seat is Edmonton. The county is named for Thomas Metcalfe, Governor of Kentucky from 1828-32...
, Monroe
Monroe County, Kentucky
Monroe County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 11,756. Its county seat is Tompkinsville. The county is named for President James Monroe. It is a prohibition or dry county.-History:...
, Muhlenberg
Muhlenberg County, Kentucky
Muhlenberg County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 31,499. The county is named for Peter Muhlenberg. Its county seat is Greenville....
, Nelson
Nelson County, Kentucky
Nelson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 43,437. Its county seat is Bardstown. The county is part of the Louisville/Jefferson County, KY–IN Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, Ohio
Ohio County, Kentucky
Ohio County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 22,916. Its county seat is Hartford. The county is named for the Ohio River, which originally formed its northern boundary. It is a dry county, which means that the sale of alcohol is restricted or...
, Oldham
Oldham County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 46,178 people, 14,856 households, and 12,196 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 15,541 housing units at an average density of...
, Russell
Russell County, Kentucky
Russell County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 17,565 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Jamestown. The county is named for William Russell...
, Simpson
Simpson County, Kentucky
Simpson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 16,405. Its county seat is Franklin. The county is named for Captain John Simpson, a Kentucky militia officer who fought in Battle of Fallen Timbers in the Northwest Indian War, and was killed in the...
, Spencer
Spencer County, Kentucky
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,766 people, 4,251 households, and 3,358 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 4,555 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.50% White, 1.13% Black or African American, 0.22% Native...
, Taylor
Taylor County, Kentucky
Taylor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 22,927. Its county seat is Campbellsville. The county is named for President Zachary Taylor, who served from 1849 to 1850. Taylor is a moist county...
, Todd
Todd County, Kentucky
Todd County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population is 11,971. Its county seat is Elkton. The county is named after Colonel John Todd, who was killed at the Battle of Blue Licks in 1782...
, Trigg
Trigg County, Kentucky
Trigg County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1820. As of 2000, the population was 12,597. Its county seat is Cadiz. The county is named for Stephen Trigg, a frontier officer in the American Revolutionary War who died in the Battle of Blue Licks...
, Union
Union County, Kentucky
Union County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1811. As of 2010, the population was 15,007. Its county seat is Morganfield.-Geography:Union County is part of the Western Coal Fields region of Kentucky...
, Warren
Warren County, Kentucky
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky, specifically the Pennyroyal Plateau and Western Coal Fields regions. It is included in the Bowling Green, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 113,792 in the 2010 Census. The county seat is Bowling Green...
, Washington
Washington County, Kentucky
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 10,916. Its county seat is Springfield. The county is named for George Washington. Washington County was the first county formed in the Commonwealth of Kentucky when it reached statehood...
, and Webster
Webster County, Kentucky
Webster County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. Webster County was formed in 1860 from parts of the counties of Henderson, Hopkins, and Union. As of 2000, the population is 14,120. Its county seat is Dixon. The county was named for American statesman Daniel Webster...
.
History
The United States District Court for the District of Kentucky was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789Judiciary Act of 1789
The United States Judiciary Act of 1789 was a landmark statute adopted on September 24, 1789 in the first session of the First United States Congress establishing the U.S. federal judiciary...
, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789. At the time, Kentucky was not yet a state, but was within the territory of the state of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. The District was unchanged when Kentucky became a state on June 1, 1792. On February 13, 1801 the Judiciary Act of 1801, 2 Stat. 89, abolished the U.S. district court in Kentucky, but the repeal of this Act restored the District on March 8, 1802, 2 Stat. 132. The District was subdivided into Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises approximately the Eastern half of the state of Kentucky....
and Western Districts on February 12, 1901, by 31 Stat. 781.
Meeting places
The court is based in LouisvilleLouisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
and also holds sessions in federal courthouses in Bowling Green
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
, Owensboro
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
, and Paducah
Paducah, Kentucky
Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...
. The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
maintains appellate jurisdiction over the district. Its court in Louisville is located at the Gene Snyder U.S. Courthouse.
U.S. Attorney
The United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Kentucky represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court. The current United States AttorneyUnited States Attorney
United States Attorneys represent the United States federal government in United States district court and United States court of appeals. There are 93 U.S. Attorneys stationed throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands...
is David J. Hale.
Current Judges
- Judge Jennifer B. Coffman was appointed in 1993 to serve concurrently in both the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky, and maintains chambers in both Lexington and Louisville.
Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
Ended senior status |
End reason |
Charles Ralph Simpson III Charles Ralph Simpson III Charles Ralph Simpson III is a United States federal judge.Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Simpson received a B.A. from the University of Louisville in 1967 and a J.D. from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1970. He was in private practice in Louisville, Kentucky from 1971 to 1986... |
Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor.... |
Incumbent | – | – | |
John Gilpin Heyburn II | George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to... |
Incumbent | – | – | |
Joseph H. McKinley Jr. Joseph H. McKinley Jr. Joseph H. McKinley Jr. is a United States federal judge.Born in Owensboro, Kentucky, McKinley received a B.S. from the University of Kentucky in 1976 and a J.D. from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1979. He was in private practice in Owensboro, Kentucky from 1979 to 1991. He was a... |
Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation... |
Incumbent | – | – | |
Jennifer B. Coffman Jennifer B. Coffman Jennifer B. Coffman is a United States federal judge.Born in Union City, Tennessee, Coffman received a B.A. from the University of Kentucky in 1969, a M.S. from the same institution in 1971, and a J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1978... |
Bill Clinton Bill Clinton William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation... |
Incumbent | – | – | |
vacant | |||||
Edward Huggins Johnstone Edward Huggins Johnstone Edward Huggins Johnstone is a United States federal judge.Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Johnstone was a Sergeant in the 9th Infantry Division in the United States Army during World War II, from 1942 to 1945. He received a J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1949... |
Jimmy Carter Jimmy Carter James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office... |
|-
| Thomas B. Russell
Thomas B. Russell
Thomas Banister Russell is a United States federal judge.Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Russell received a B.A. from Western Kentucky University in 1967 and a J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1970...
||Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
||||||Incumbent||–
|-
|}
There is currently one vacancy on the court due to the decision of Chief Judge Thomas B. Russell
Thomas B. Russell
Thomas Banister Russell is a United States federal judge.Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Russell received a B.A. from Western Kentucky University in 1967 and a J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1970...
to assume senior status. No replacement nominee is currently pending.
Former Judges
Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
Ended senior status |
End reason |
Walter Evans Walter Evans (American politician) Walter Evans was a U.S. Representative from Kentucky, nephew of Burwell Clark Ritter.-Early life:Born near Glasgow, Kentucky, Evans attended the public schools near Harrodsburg, Kentucky. He moved to Hopkinsville, Christian County, where he served as deputy county clerk in 1859. He was a captain... |
William McKinley William McKinley William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s... |
– | death | ||
Charles I. Dawson Charles I. Dawson Charles I. Dawson was a lawyer and politician from Kentucky who ran several high profile campaigns as the nominee of the Republican party, and served for ten years as a United States federal judge.... |
Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state... |
– | resignation | ||
Charles Harwood Moorman Charles Harwood Moorman Charles Harwood Moorman was a United States federal judge.Born in Big Spring, Kentucky, Moorman read law to enter the bar in 1900. He was in private practice in Elizabethtown, Kentucky from 1900 to 1906, and then in Louisville, Kentucky until 1921. Volunteer, American Red Cross, France, 1917-1918... |
Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state... |
|-
| Elwood Hamilton
Elwood Hamilton
Elwood Hamilton was a United States federal judge.Born in Benson, Kentucky, Hamilton received an LL.B. from the University of Louisville in 1904. He was in private practice in Frankfort, Kentucky from 1905 to 1922. He was a member of the Kentucky General Assembly from 1912 to 1914...
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| Shackelford Miller, Jr.
Shackelford Miller, Jr.
Shackelford Miller, Jr. was a United States federal judge.Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Miller received an A.B. from Princeton University in 1914 and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1917. He was in private practice in Louisville, Kentucky from 1919 to 1939.On February 16, 1939, Miller was...
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| Mac Swinford
Mac Swinford
Mac Swinford was a United States federal judge.Born in Cynthiana, Kentucky, Swinford attended the University of Virginia and read law in 1922, then graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1925. He was in private practice in Cynthiana, Kentucky from 1922 to 1933...
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
||||||–||death
|-
| Roy Mahlon Shelbourne
Roy Mahlon Shelbourne
Roy Mahlon Shelbourne was a United States federal judge.Born in Bardwell, Kentucky, Shelbourne received an A.B. from Union University, Tennessee in 1912 and an LL.B. from Cumberland University in 1913. He was in private practice in Bardwell, Kentucky from 1913 to 1927. He was a County attorney of...
||Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
||||||||death
|-
| Henry Luesing Brooks
Henry Luesing Brooks
Henry Luesing Brooks was a United States federal judge.Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Brooks received an A.B. from the University of Wisconsin in 1927 and an LL.B. from Jefferson School of Law in 1929. He was in private practice in Louisville, Kentucky from 1929 to 1954. He was a U.S. Naval Reserve...
||Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| James Fleming Gordon
James Fleming Gordon
James Fleming Gordon was a United States federal judge.Born in Madisonville, Kentucky, Gordon received an LL.B. from the University of Kentucky in 1941. He was in private practice in Madisonville, Kentucky from 1941 to 1942. He was in the United States Army from 1942 to 1945. He was in private...
||Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
||||||||death
|-
| Charles Mengel Allen
Charles Mengel Allen
Charles Mengel Allen was a United States federal judge.Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Allen received a B.A. from Yale University in 1941 and an LL.B. from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1943...
||Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
||||||||death
|-
| Clifton Rhodes Bratcher
Clifton Rhodes Bratcher
Clifton Rhodes Bratcher was a United States federal judge.Born in Morgantown, Kentucky, Bratcher was in the United States Army Sergeant during World War II, from 1941 to 1945, and then received an LL.B. from the University of Louisville in 1947. He was a County attorney of Butler County,...
||Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
||||||–||death
|-
| Eugene Edward Siler, Jr.
Eugene Edward Siler, Jr.
Eugene Edward Siler, Jr. is a United States federal judge.-Biography:Born in Williamsburg, Kentucky, Siler received a B.A. from Vanderbilt University in 1958, an LL.B. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1963, and an LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center in 1964. He was in the...
||Gerald Ford
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| Thomas Austin Ballantine, Jr.
Thomas Austin Ballantine, Jr.
Thomas Austin Ballantine, Jr. was a United States federal judge.Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Ballantine received a B.A. from the University of Kentucky in 1948 and an LL.B. from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1954. He was in private practice in Louisville from 1954 to 1964...
||Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
||||||||death
|-
| Ronald Edward Meredith
Ronald Edward Meredith
Ronald Edward Meredith was a United States federal judge.Born in Clarkson, Kentucky, Meredith received a B.A. from Georgetown College in 1967 and a J.D. from George Washington University Law School in 1971. He was a Minority counsel, U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Penitentiaries from 1971...
||Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
||||||–||death
|-
|}