Karen Kaye Caldwell (born February 25, 1956) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Education and prior career

Caldwell earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1977 from Transylvania University, and her

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from University of Kentucky College of Law in 1980. She worked as a field claims representative for

State Farm Insurance State Farm Insurance is a large group of mutual insurance companies throughout the United States with corporate headquarters in Bloomington, Illinois. Overview State Farm is the largest property and casualty insurance provider, and the lar ...

from 1980 until 1987, and also worked as an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...

at Eastern Kentucky University during the years of 1984, 1985, and 1987. She then served as an

Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...

for the Eastern District of Kentucky, from 1987 to 1990. She was appointed United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky in 1991, by President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

, and served in that capacity until 1993, when she entered private practice. One of the firms Caldwell worked for was

Dinsmore & Shohl Dinsmore is a large U.S. law firm with a lead administrative office in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is an AmLaw 200 and National Law Journal 250 firm, and has been named to the ''U.S. News & World Report'' and ''Best Lawyers'' Best Law Firm lists. The ...

, where she was made

partner Partner, Partners, The Partner, or, The Partners may refer to: Books * ''The Partner'' (Grisham novel), by John Grisham, 1997 * ''The Partner'' (Jenaro Prieto novel), 1928 * ''The Partners'' (book), a 1983 book by James B. Stewart * ''Partner'' (m ...

at their Louisville office. Caldwell also temporarily returned to teaching, serving as an adjunct professor at her ''alma mater'', Transylvania University, during the 2000 school year. A Courier Journal report on Caldwell's appointment as U.S. attorney in 1991 noted that she had dated senator

Mitch McConnell Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the senior United States senator from Kentucky and the Senate minority leader since 2021. Currently in his seventh term, McConne ...

. McConnell, who recommended Caldwell for that position, said at the time that she was well qualified and should not be barred from the position because of their personal relationship.

Federal judicial service

Caldwell was nominated by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

on September 4, 2001, to a seat vacated by

Henry Rupert Wilhoit Jr. Henry Rupert Wilhoit Jr. (February 11, 1935 – September 12, 2022) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Education and career Born in Ashland, Kentucky, Wilhoit received a ...

She was confirmed by the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

on October 23, 2001, and received her commission on October 24, 2001. She served as Chief Judge from October 15, 2012, until August 2019. In 2007, she was honored by the University of Kentucky College of Law and the Kentucky Bar Association by being inducted into the college's Hall of Fame.

References

External links

*
Listing of Caldwell's judicial opinions, courtesy of Justia.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Caldwell, Karen Kaye 1956 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American women lawyers 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges 21st-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers Assistant United States Attorneys Eastern Kentucky University faculty Judges of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky Lawyers from Louisville, Kentucky People from Stanford, Kentucky Transylvania University alumni Transylvania University faculty United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Kentucky United States district court judges appointed by George W. Bush University of Kentucky College of Law alumni Women in Kentucky politics