The United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky (in case citations, 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 in Cincinnati, Ohio (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).

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.Asbury Dickens, A Synoptical Index to the Laws and Treaties of the United States of America (1852), p. 391.U.S. District Courts of Kentucky, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center. 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 :

Former judges

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 DuRelle 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

See also Courts of Kentucky List of current United States district judges List of United States federal courthouses in Kentucky

References

External links U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Official website