--- title: "David Jason Hale | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-jason-hale" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # David Jason Hale 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: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Chief Judge (2025–present) – U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky - Judge, District Court, W.D. Kentucky, 2014-present - District Judge (2014–present) – Appointed by President Barack Obama; confirmed December 3, 2014 - U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, 2010-2014 - Assistant U.S. attorney, Western District of Kentucky, 1995-1999 - Federal judge serving the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky ### Education - Vanderbilt University — B.A. (1989) - University of Kentucky College of Law ### Additional information - He became Chief Judge in 2025 - Private practice, Louisville, KY, 1999-2010 - Private practice, Louisville, KY, 1992-1994 - Date of birth: 1967-01-01 - Judge Hale has issued numerous rulings across civil and criminal matters. - Birth place: Fort Campbell, KY ## 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/1394686) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394686) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394686) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1326/david-jason-hale/) - [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/1326/david-jason-hale/) - [Wikidata: David J. Hale](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16196969) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-jason-hale", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-jason-hale", "name": "David Jason Hale | KnowJudges", "description": "David Jason Hale, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.", "dateModified": "2026-10-09", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-jason-hale#judge" } }, { "@type": "Person", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-jason-hale#judge", "name": "David Jason Hale", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-jason-hale", "jobTitle": "Judge", "worksFor": { "@type": "GovernmentOrganization", "name": "U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky" }, "sameAs": [ "https://www.fjc.gov/node/1394686", "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/1326/david-jason-hale/" ], "birthDate": "1967", "birthPlace": "Fort Campbell, KY", "alumniOf": [ { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "Vanderbilt University" }, { "@type": "EducationalOrganization", "name": "University of Kentucky College of Law" } ] }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "KnowJudges", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Kentucky", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/kentucky" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "David Jason Hale", "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-jason-hale" } ] } ] } ``` ## Federal civil docket activity Dataset updated through 2026-06-30. | Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample | | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | | 1y | 311 | 19 | 0.6 | 19 | | 2y | 511 | 81 | 2.2 | 81 | | 5y | 1084 | 586 | 6.5 | 586 | | 10y | 2253 | 1746 | 7 | 1746 | Source: https://www.courtlistener.com/recap/ ## Published courtroom rules ### Shared court rules - [Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-651872d6e45e0d82319ecccc) — Civil actions in United States District Courts; Rule 81 exceptions apply. 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.