Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-73
§97 Kentucky
Title 28 › Part PART I— - ORGANIZATION OF COURTS › Chapter CHAPTER 5— - DISTRICT COURTS › § 97
Summary
Kentucky is split into two federal judicial districts: the Eastern District and the Western District. The Eastern District covers a group of counties in the eastern and central parts of the state and holds court in Ashland, Catlettsburg, Covington, Frankfort, Jackson, Lexington, London, Pikeville, and Richmond. The Western District covers the counties in the western part of the state and holds court in Bowling Green, Louisville, Owensboro, and Paducah.
Full Legal Text
Title 28, §97
Judiciary and Judicial Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Kentucky is divided into two judicial districts to be known as the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky. Eastern District (a) The Eastern District comprises the counties of Anderson, Bath, Bell, Boone, Bourbon, Boyd, Boyle, Bracken, Breathitt, Campbell, Carroll, Carter, Clark, Clay, Elliott, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Floyd, Franklin, Gallatin, Garrard, Grant, Greenup, Harlan, Harrison, Henry, Jackson, Jessamine, Johnson, Kenton, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Mason, Menifee, Mercer, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owen, Owsley, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Scott, Shelby, Trimble, Wayne, Whitley, Wolfe, and Woodford. Court for the Eastern District shall be held at Ashland, Catlettsburg, Covington, Frankfort, Jackson, Lexington, London, Pikeville, and Richmond. Western District (b) The Western District comprises the counties of Adair, Allen, Ballard, Barren, Breckenridge, Bullitt, Butler, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Casey, Christian, Clinton, Crittenden, Cumberland, Daviess, Edmonson, Fulton, Graves, Grayson, Green, Hancock, Hardin, Hart, Henderson, Hickman, Hopkins, Jefferson, Larue, Livingston, Logan, Lyon, McCracken, McLean, Marion, Marshall, Meade, Metcalfe, Monroe, Muhlenberg, Nelson, Ohio, Oldham, Russell, Simpson, Spencer, Taylor, Todd, Trigg, Union, Warren, Washington, and Webster. Court for the Western District shall be held at Bowling Green, Louisville, Owensboro, and Paducah.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 158 (Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, § 83, 36 Stat. 1112; Jan. 29, 1920, ch. 57, 41 Stat. 400; June 22, 1936, ch. 707, 49 Stat. 1822). Last paragraph of section 158 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., relating to process, was omitted as covered by Rule 4 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Provisions relating to maintenance of clerk’s offices were omitted as covered by section 452 and 751 of this title. Provisions for furnishing rooms and accommodations at Lexington and Pikeville were omitted as obsolete on advice of the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts that Federal accommodations are now available in each of those places. Words “with the waters thereof,” after the list of counties in each district, were omitted as unnecessary and inconsistent with other sections of this chapter. McCreary County of the Eastern District was formed from parts of the counties of Pulaski, Wayne, and Whitley since the latest amendment of the Judicial Code. Changes in arrangement and phraseology were made.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1978—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 95–408 provided for holding court at Ashland.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1978 Amendment;
Savings Provision
Amendment by Pub. L. 95–408 effective 180 days after Oct. 2, 1978, with such amendment not to affect the composition or preclude the service of any grand or petit juror summoned, empaneled, or actually serving in any judicial district on the
Effective Date
of this Act, see section 5 of Pub. L. 95–408, set out as a note under section 89 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
28 U.S.C. § 97
Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73