Rebecca Grady Jennings

Rebecca Grady Jennings
Rebecca Grady Jennings
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
	Incumbent
	Assumed office ; April 19, 2018
Appointed by	Donald Trump
Preceded by	John G. Heyburn II
Personal details
Born	Rebecca Christine Grady; 1978 (age 45–46); Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Spouse	Patrick Jennings
Education	Emory University (BA); American University (JD)

Rebecca Christine Grady Jennings (born 1978)^[1] is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.

Biography

Jennings received her Bachelor of Arts from Emory University and Juris Doctor from the Washington College of Law at American University, where she served as a senior associate on the American University International Law Review.

In 2000 she was a student attorney for the American University Community and Economic Development Law Clinic and later a legal intern for District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Nan R. Shuker. In 2001 she was an equal justice foundation fellow for C-CAPE in Beaufort, North Carolina.

She began her legal career as a law clerk to Judge William Joseph Haynes Jr. of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Before becoming a judge, she worked as chair of Middleton Reutlinger's litigation practice, and her practice focused on civil litigation at both the trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts.^[2]

Federal judicial service

On September 7, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Jennings to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, to the seat vacated by Judge John G. Heyburn II, who assumed senior status on April 1, 2014.^[3] A hearing on her nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee was held on November 15, 2017.^[4] On December 7, 2017, her nomination was reported out of committee by voice vote.^[5] On April 12, 2018, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 94–2 vote.^[6] Her nomination was confirmed later that day by a voice vote.^[7] She received her commission on April 19, 2018.^[8]

Notable cases

On April 21, 2022, Jennings temporarily blocked a Kentucky law that would ban abortions after 15 weeks. Jennings has not yet ruled on the law's constitutionality but agreed that more time is needed to determine "specifically determine which individual provisions and subsections are capable of compliance."^[9]

Personal life

Jennings is married to Patrick Jennings, who works at Commonwealth Alliances, a lobbying firm.^[10]

References

^ "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Rebecca Grady Jennings" (PDF). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Seventh Wave of Judicial Candidates". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
^ "Nine Nominations Sent to the Senate Today". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.
^ "Nominations - United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov. November 15, 2017.
^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – December 7, 2017" (PDF). Senate Judiciary Committee.
^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Rebecca Grady Jennings, of Kentucky, to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Kentucky)". United States Senate.
^ "PN989 – Nomination of Rebecca Grady Jennings, of Kentucky, for The Judiciary, 115th Congress (2017–2018)". www.congress.gov. September 7, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2018.
^ Rebecca Grady Jennings at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
^ "Federal judge temporarily blocks new Kentucky abortion law from being enforced". CNN. April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
^ Wolfson, Andrew; Costello, Darcy (September 7, 2017). "Louisville lawyer would be first woman judge to serve exclusively in Western District". Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved April 14, 2018.

External links

Rebecca Grady Jennings at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
Rebecca Grady Jennings at Ballotpedia

Legal offices
Preceded by John G. Heyburn II	Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky 2018–present	Incumbent

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[1] "United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Rebecca Grady Jennings" (PDF). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.

[2] "President Donald J. Trump Announces Seventh Wave of Judicial Candidates". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.

[3] "Nine Nominations Sent to the Senate Today". whitehouse.gov – via National Archives.

[4] "Nominations - United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary". www.judiciary.senate.gov. November 15, 2017.

[5] "Results of Executive Business Meeting – December 7, 2017" (PDF). Senate Judiciary Committee.

[6] "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Rebecca Grady Jennings, of Kentucky, to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Kentucky)". United States Senate.

[7] "PN989 – Nomination of Rebecca Grady Jennings, of Kentucky, for The Judiciary, 115th Congress (2017–2018)". www.congress.gov. September 7, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2018.

[8] Rebecca Grady Jennings at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

[9] "Federal judge temporarily blocks new Kentucky abortion law from being enforced". CNN. April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2022.

[10] Wolfson, Andrew; Costello, Darcy (September 7, 2017). "Louisville lawyer would be first woman judge to serve exclusively in Western District". Louisville Courier Journal. Retrieved April 14, 2018.

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