Karen Kaye Caldwell (born February 25, 1956) is a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district cou ...

of the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky (in case citations, E.D. Ky.) is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises approximately the Eastern half of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The United States Co ...

Education and prior career

Caldwell earned her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in 1977 from

Transylvania University Transylvania University is a private university in Lexington, Kentucky. It was founded in 1780 and was the first university in Kentucky. It offers 46 major programs, as well as dual-degree engineering programs, and is accredited by the Southern ...

, 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 The University of Kentucky J. David Rosenberg College of Law, also known as UK Rosenberg College of Law, is the law school of the University of Kentucky located in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded initially from a law program at Transylvania Universit ...

in 1980. She worked as a field claims representative for State Farm Insurance 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 ...

Eastern Kentucky University Eastern Kentucky University (Eastern or EKU) is a public university in Richmond, Kentucky. As a regional comprehensive institution, EKU also maintains branch campuses in Corbin, Hazard, Lancaster, and Manchester and offers over 40 online u ...

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 Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border. ...

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 President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

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. 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