---
title: "David L. Bunning | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/david-l-bunning"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-09"
---

# David L. Bunning

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky · U.S. District Judge

## Profile

- Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
- State: Kentucky
- Role: U.S. District Judge
- Service status: active
- Last verified: 2026-07-25

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, District Court, E.D. Kentucky, 2002-present
- Law clerk, U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Kentucky, 1991-present
- He became the chief judge of the court on February 1, 2025
- Assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Kentucky, 1991-2002

### Education

- University of Kentucky College of Law in — J.D. (1991)
- He graduated from the University of Kentucky with a — B.A. (1988)

### Additional information

- One of Bunning's most notable rulings occurred in 2015 when he issued a contempt of court ruling against Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
- The son of former U.S. Senator Jim Bunning, who served from 1999 to 2011
- He received his commission on February 19, 2002.
- Nominated to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky by President George W. Bush on September 4, 2001, and was confirmed by the Senate on February 14, 2002.
- David Louis Bunning was born on July 14, 1966, in Fort Thomas, Kentucky.
- Date of birth: 1966-01-01
- As chief judge, Bunning oversees the operations of the Eastern District of Kentucky court
- handling a variety of cases, including civil and criminal matters.
- Birth place: Ft.
- Thomas, 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/1391431)
- [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391431)
- [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1391431)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/461/david-l-bunning/)
- [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/461/david-l-bunning/)
- [Wikidata: David L. Bunning](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5236181)

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## Federal civil docket activity

Dataset updated through 2026-06-30.

| Period | Assigned cases | Terminated cases | Median disposition (months) | Median sample |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 1y | 327 | 13 | 0.5 | 13 |
| 2y | 521 | 93 | 0.5 | 93 |
| 5y | 1052 | 553 | 3.3 | 553 |
| 10y | 1901 | 1390 | 6.2 | 1390 |

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.