United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky

Jurisdiction

Jurisdiction includes the following Kentucky 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.

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.

History

The United States District Court for the District of Kentucky was one of the original 13 courts established by the Judiciary Act of 1789, , 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, , abolished the U.S. district court in Kentucky, but the repeal of this Act restored the District on March 8, 1802, . The District was subdivided into Eastern and Western Districts on February 12, 1901, by .

Meeting places

The court is based in Louisville 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.

Current judges

: Louisville Paducah Owensboro

Chief judges

Succession of seats

U.S. Attorneys

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.

• Ruben D. Hill 1898–1906
• George Du Relle 1906–14
• Perry B. Miller 1914–19
• W. Voris Gregory 1919–22
• W. Sherman Ball 1922–27
• Thomas Sparks Jr. 1927–35
• Bunk Gardner 1935–38
• Eli H. Brown III 1938–45
• David C. Walls 1945–53
• Charles F. Wood 1953–54
• J. Leonard Walker 1954–59
• William B. Jones 1959–61
• William E. Scent 1961–65
• Boyce F. Martin Jr. 1965
• Ernest W. Rivers 1965–70
• John T. Smith 1970
• George J. Long Jr. 1970–77
• J. Albert Jones 1977–80
• John L. Smith 1980–81
• Alexander T. Taft Jr. 1981
• Ronald E. Meredith 1981–85
• Alexander T. Taft Jr. 1985–86
• Joseph M. Whittle 1986–93
• W. Michael Troop 1993–99
• Steven S. Reed 1999-2001
• Steve Pence 2001–2003
• David L. Huber 2003–2009
• David J. Hale 2010–2014
• John E. Kuhn Jr. 2014-2017
• Russell Coleman 2017–2021
• Michael A. Bennett 2021–2025
• Kyle G. Bumgarner 2025–present

References

References

1. Asbury Dickens, ''A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America'' (1852), p. 391.
2. [https://www.fjc.gov/history/courts/u.s.-district-courts-districts-kentucky-legislative-history U.S. District Courts of Kentucky, Legislative history], ''[[Federal Judicial Center]]''.
3. Story, Justin. (2025-06-02). "Kyle Bumgarner sworn in as new U.S. Attorney for Western District of Kentucky".
4. "Interview with Steven S. Reed, December 14, 2018".
5. (2021-03-01). "District of Alaska {{!}} Former United States Attorney John E. Kuhn, Jr.".
6. (2025-06-03). "Western District of Kentucky {{!}} U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi Appoints Kyle G. Bumgarner as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky {{!}} United States Department of Justice".