--- title: "Charles Ralph Simpson III | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-ralph-simpson-iii" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-08-03" --- # Charles Ralph Simpson III U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky - State: Kentucky - Role: Judge - Service status: senior - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, W.D. Kentucky, 1986-2013 - On June 6, 1986, Simpson was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, filling the seat vacated by Judge Charles M. Allen - Part-time staff counsel, Jefferson County [Kentucky] Judge/Executive, 1978-1984 - Beyond his judicial duties, Simpson has contributed to the administration of justice internationally and has been involved in the Judicial Conference of the United States ### Education - University of Louisville School of Law (now Louis D. Brandeis School of Law) — J.D. (1970) - degree — University of Louisville — B.A. (1967) ### Additional information - received his commission on August 4, 1986 He held the role of Chief Judge — 1994–2001 and assumed senior status on February 1, 2013 - Member, Judicial Conference of the United States, 2006-2007 - City clerk, Rolling Fields, KY, 1985-1986 - City clerk, Rolling Fields, Kentucky, 1985-1986 - Private practice, Louisville, KY, 1971-1986 - Alcoholic beverage control administrator, Jefferson County [Kentucky], 1983-1984 - Charles Ralph Simpson III was born on July 8, 1945, in Cleveland, Ohio - Date of birth: 1945-01-01 - Birth place: Cleveland, OH ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387856) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387856) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387856) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2976/charles-ralph-simpson-iii/) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/2976/charles-ralph-simpson-iii/) - [Judge Charles Ralph Simpson III](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1387856) - [Wikidata: Charles Ralph Simpson III](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5081913) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-ralph-simpson-iii", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/charles-ralph-simpson-iii", "name": "Charles Ralph Simpson III | KnowJudges", "description": "Charles Ralph Simpson III, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.