| United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky | |
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| (W.D. Ky.) | |
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| Location | Gene Snyder U.S. Courthouse |
| Appeals to | Sixth Circuit |
| Established | February 12, 1901 |
| Judges | 5 |
| Chief Judge | David J. Hale |
| Officers of the court | |
| U.S. Attorney | Kyle G. Baumgarner |
| U.S. Marshal | Gary B. Burman |
| www | |
TheUnited States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky (incase citations,W.D. Ky.) is thefederal district court for the western part of the state ofKentucky.
Appeals from the Western District of Kentucky are taken to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit inCincinnati, Ohio (except forpatent claims and claims against the U.S. government under theTucker Act, which are appealed to theFederal Circuit).
Jurisdiction includes the followingKentucky 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, andWebster.
The following counties are in the Louisville Division: Breckinridge, Bullitt, Hardin, Jefferson, LaRue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, Oldham, Spencer, and Washington.
The following counties are in the Bowling Green Division: Adair, Allen, Barren, Butler, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Green, Hart, Logan, Metcalf, Monroe, Russell, Simpson, Taylor, Todd, and Warren.
The following counties are in the Owensboro Division: Daviess, Grayson, Hancock, Henderson, Hopkins, McLean, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Union, and Webster.
The following counties are in the Paducah Division: Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, McCracken, Marshall, and Trigg.
TheUnited States District Court for the District of Kentucky was one of the original 13 courts established by theJudiciary Act of 1789, 1 Stat. 73, on September 24, 1789.[1][2] At the time, Kentucky was not yet a state, but was within the territory of the state ofVirginia. The District was unchanged when Kentucky became a state on June 1, 1792. On February 13, 1801, theJudiciary Act of 1801, 2 Stat. 89, abolished the U.S. district court in Kentucky,[2] but the repeal of this Act restored the District on March 8, 1802, 2 Stat. 132.[2] The District was subdivided intoEastern and Western Districts on February 12, 1901, by 31 Stat. 781.[2]
The court is based inLouisville and also holds sessions in federal courthouses inBowling Green,Owensboro, andPaducah. TheUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit inCincinnati, Ohio maintains appellate jurisdiction over the district. Its court in Louisville is located at theGene Snyder U.S. Courthouse.
As of November 15, 2025[update]:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Appointed by | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Chief | Senior | ||||||
| 22 | Chief Judge | David J. Hale | Louisville | 1967 | 2014–present | 2025–present | — | Obama |
| 21 | District Judge | Gregory N. Stivers | Bowling Green Louisville Paducah | 1960 | 2014–present | 2018–2025 | — | Obama |
| 23 | District Judge | Clara Boom[Note 1] | Louisville | 1969 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 24 | District Judge | Rebecca Jennings | Louisville | 1978 | 2018–present | — | — | Trump |
| 26 | District Judge | Benjamin Beaton | Louisville | 1981 | 2020–present | — | — | Trump |
| 16 | Senior Judge | Charles Simpson III | Louisville | 1945 | 1986–2013 | 1994–2001 | 2013–present | Reagan |
| 20 | Senior Judge | Joseph McKinley Jr. | Louisville Owensboro | 1954 | 1995–2019 | 2011–2018 | 2019–present | Clinton |
| # | Judge | Born–died | Active service | Chief Judge | Senior status | Appointed by | Reason for termination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Evans | 1842–1923 | 1901–1923[Note 1] | — | — | McKinley/Operation of law | death |
| 2 | Charles Moorman | 1876–1938 | 1924–1925 | — | — | Coolidge | elevation |
| 3 | Charles I. Dawson | 1881–1969 | 1925–1935 | — | — | Coolidge | resignation |
| 4 | Elwood Hamilton | 1883–1945 | 1935–1938 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | elevation |
| 5 | Mac Swinford | 1899–1975 | 1937–1975[Note 2] | — | — | F. Roosevelt | death |
| 6 | Shackelford Miller Jr. | 1892–1965 | 1939–1945 | — | — | F. Roosevelt | elevation |
| 7 | Roy Mahlon Shelbourne | 1890–1974 | 1946–1964 | 1948–1960 | 1964–1974 | Truman | death |
| 8 | Henry Luesing Brooks | 1905–1971 | 1954–1969 | 1960–1969 | — | Eisenhower | elevation |
| 9 | James Fleming Gordon | 1918–1990 | 1965–1976 | 1969–1976 | 1976–1990 | L. Johnson | death |
| 10 | Clifton Rhodes Bratcher | 1917–1977 | 1970–1977 | 1976–1977 | — | Nixon | death |
| 11 | Charles M. Allen | 1916–2000 | 1971–1985 | 1977–1985 | 1985–2000 | Nixon | death |
| 12 | Eugene E. Siler Jr. | 1936–present | 1975–1991[Note 2] | — | — | Ford | elevation |
| 13 | Edward Johnstone | 1922–2013 | 1977–1993 | 1985–1990 | 1993–2013 | Carter | death |
| 14 | Thomas A. Ballantine Jr. | 1926–1992 | 1977–1991 | 1990–1991 | 1991–1992 | Carter | death |
| 15 | Ronald Edward Meredith | 1946–1994 | 1985–1994 | 1991–1994 | — | Reagan | death |
| 17 | John G. Heyburn II | 1948–2015 | 1992–2014 | 2001–2008 | 2014–2015 | G.H.W. Bush | death |
| 18 | Jennifer B. Coffman | 1948–present | 1993–2013[Note 2] | — | — | Clinton | retirement |
| 19 | Thomas B. Russell | 1945–present | 1994–2011 | 2008–2011 | 2011–2023 | Clinton | retirement |
| 25 | Justin R. Walker | 1982–present | 2019–2020 | — | — | Trump | elevation |
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known assenior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
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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 Attorney is Kyle G. Bumgarner, who was sworn into office on June 2, 2025.[3]
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