A Louisville based civil litigator, Rebecca Grady Jennings is on track to become the first woman exclusively appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. (Judge Jennifer Coffman was appointed to a joint seat serving both the Western and the Eastern Districts of Kentucky.  However, Coffman was a Lexington attorney in the Eastern District prior to her appointment).  While Jennings is very young (not even 40), she is unlikely to draw significant opposition due to her mainstream background.

Background

Jennings was born Rebecca Christine Grady in Wilmington, DE in 1978.  Jennings attended Emory University, along with a stint studying abroad at Oxford, graduating in 1999.  Upon graduation, Jennings attended American University Washington College of Law, graduating in 2002.

Jennings then clerked for Judge William Haynes on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. After her clerkship, Jennings joined the Louisville Kentucky office of Middleton Reutlinger PSC as an Associate.  Jennings was elevated to be a Director in 2009, and has served as Chair of the Litigation Department since 2014.

History of the Seat

Jennings has been nominated for a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.  This seat opened on April 1, 2014, when Judge John G. Heyburn moved to senior status.  While the seat opened in President Obama’s second term, the Obama Administration and Kentucky Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul were unable to reach an agreement on a nominee to fill the vacancy.  As such, no nomination was put forward by the Obama Administration.

Jennings received a call from Paul’s office indicating her consideration for a federal judgeship in April 2017.  After interviews with Paul and McConnell, Jennings’ name was recommended to the White House.  Jennings interviewed with the White House and the Department of Justice in May, and her nomination was officially put forward on September 7, 2017.

Political Activity

While Jennings has never held public office, she has donated occasionally to Republicans.[1]  Among her donations, Jennings gave $1000 to the senatorial campaign of Trey Grayson, $1000 to McConnell, and $1000 to the Republican Party of Kentucky.

Legal Experience

After her clerkship on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, Jennings has spent the rest of her legal career at the same firm: the Louisville law firm Middleton Reutlinger, serving first as a litigation associate, then as a partner, and finally as head of the litigation division.  In this role, Jennings mainly focuses on complex commercial litigation, including contract claims, professional malpractice, and intellectual property.  Jennings also maintains an employment law portfolio, primarily defending employers against discrimination claims, but also working on compliance matters.

In one of her more prominent cases, Jennings represented Republican Dana Seum Stephenson, who had been elected to the Kentucky State Senate in 2004.[2]  Stephenson’s opponent Virginia Woodward challenged Stephenson’s seating, arguing that Stephenson did not meet the Kentucky Constitution’s residency requirements.  Jennings was part of the legal team representing Stephenson throughout the proceedings, and at the Kentucky Supreme Court, which affirmed a lower court ruling holding that Stephenson was ineligible to serve.[3]

Jennings has also frequently defended school districts against First Amendment and sex discrimination challenges.  She notably defended school programs offering single-sex classes,[4] school dress codes,[5] and school locker room assignment plans.[6]

Overall Assessment

In a hearing expected to be dominated by the testimony of the American Bar Association (ABA), it is unlikely that Jennings will draw much controversy.  Despite her age, Jennings was rated Qualified by the ABA, and has fifteen years of substantive legal experience, significantly more than many of the other young nominees.  Furthermore, Jennings has Paul and McConnell, both influential senators, as her champions.  As such, it is likely that Jennings will be confirmed by the Senate before the end of the year.

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