Which cases currently assigned to the Eastern District of Kentucky list Karen K. Caldwell as presiding judge?

Checked on January 31, 2026
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Executive summary

Public court listings show Judge Karen K. Caldwell is an active U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and a snapshot “Pending Cases” report associates a set of civil and criminal matters with her name, including David Bradley v. Laurel County, Victory Global, LLC v. Fresh Bourbon, LLC, and several United States criminal prosecutions [1] [2] [3]. The reporting available is a static selection rather than a live docket, so any attempt to produce a definitive, up-to-the-minute roster from these sources risks omission; the official court website and live PACER/ECF access would be needed for a current, exhaustive list [1].

1. Judge Caldwell’s role and standing on the Eastern District of Kentucky

Judge Karen K. Caldwell is identified on the Eastern District of Kentucky’s official site as a sitting United States District Judge based in Lexington, which establishes her authority to preside over matters filed in that district [1]. Her long-standing federal service—nominated in 2001 and confirmed later that year—is documented by the Federal Judicial Center, which also notes her prior service as Chief Judge from 2012–2019 and other professional background relevant to case assignment and management [2].

2. What the “Pending Cases” snapshot shows about cases assigned to Caldwell

A published pending-cases report for the Eastern District lists individual matters under Judge Caldwell’s name; examples shown in that report include David Bradley v. Laurel County, KY, Victory Global, LLC v. Fresh Bourbon, LLC, and a series of matters captioned “USA v.” followed by individual defendants such as Tevye Jones and Derrick Whitt, indicating both civil and criminal dockets attributed to her in that snapshot [3]. The same report groups cases by division and judge, which explains why multiple case types—civil suits, state-versus-plaintiff actions, and federal criminal prosecutions—appear under her name in the document [3].

3. Limits of the available reporting and why it’s only a snapshot

The sources supplied include an official judge page and a static “Pending Cases” case-report PDF; neither is a live docket feed and neither claims to be exhaustive for the current moment, so the list of matters seen in the PDF should be treated as a sampling rather than a complete, current inventory of Judge Caldwell’s active cases [1] [3]. The Federal Judicial Center and court institutional pages corroborate Caldwell’s status and roles but do not provide an itemized, up-to-the-minute docket list in the provided snippets; accurate, current case assignments generally require PACER/ECF or the clerk’s office records [2] [1].

4. How to reconcile conflicting expectations about “which cases” are assigned

Those seeking a definitive answer about "which cases currently assigned" must distinguish between published lists (a static pending-cases report) and live docket data: the former can be cited to show examples attributed to Judge Caldwell at the time the report was generated (e.g., David Bradley v. Laurel County; Victory Global, LLC v. Fresh Bourbon; USA v. Tevye Jones) while the latter—available only through the court’s active docket systems—would be the authoritative source for a current, comprehensive roster [3] [1]. The Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation also lists Caldwell as a member and current Chair, demonstrating her broader case-management responsibilities that can affect reassignment or consolidation of matters across districts, though that does not replace case-level docket checks [4].

5. Straight answer grounded in the provided reporting

Based solely on the provided “Pending Cases” report, the cases explicitly shown as assigned to Judge Karen K. Caldwell include David Bradley v. Laurel County, KY; Victory Global, LLC v. Fresh Bourbon, LLC; and multiple criminal captions framed as USA v. [defendant], such as USA v. Tevye Jones and USA v. Derrick Whitt; these examples come from the Eastern District pending-cases document [3]. The official court page and Federal Judicial Center entries confirm she is the presiding judge in the Eastern District of Kentucky and thus the proper judicial attribution for those matters in the report [1] [2]. Because the available sources are snapshots, a complete and current list cannot be produced from these documents alone; the court’s live docket (PACER/ECF) or the clerk’s office would be required for an exhaustive, real-time inventory [1] [3].

Want to dive deeper?
How can I access the current, official docket for cases assigned to Judge Karen K. Caldwell (PACER/ECF steps)?
Which high-profile MDL matters has Judge Karen K. Caldwell chaired or been assigned to through the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation?
What are the standard procedures for reassignment of cases among judges in the Eastern District of Kentucky and where are those rules published?