--- title: "Matthew A. Stinnett | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/matthew-atwood-stinnett" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-08" --- # Matthew A. Stinnett U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky · U.S. Magistrate Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky - State: Kentucky - Role: U.S. Magistrate Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-29 ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge Stinnett typically holds criminal and civil court on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, usually in Courtroom C on the fourth floor - Judge Stinnett manages a wide range of cases in the Eastern District of Kentucky ### Education ### Additional information - Magistrate, District Court, E.D. Kentucky, 2018-present - Joined the federal bench on October 26, 2018. - Practitioner, Dickinson Wright PLLC, 2015–2018-10 - Practitioner, Bingham, Greenebaum, Doll, 2006–2015 - J.D. — Northern Kentucky Univ. — 2006 - B.A. — Transylvania Univ. — 2002 - Known for careful, evidence-based rulings. - Assigned to 80% of Lexington civil cases, 70% of Frankfort and Lexington criminal cases, and 25% of district-wide habeas cases. - He serves under the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and is part of the federal judiciary in both the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky. - His work encompasses civil, criminal, and habeas matters, and he is recognized for his methodical approach to case management and pretrial proceedings - He applies established legal tests rigorously, such as the Wittmer v. - Judge Stinnett’s professional evaluations, such as those on The Robing Room, provide insight into his temperament, scholarship, industriousness, and fairness in civil and criminal litigation. - His responsibilities include scheduling, discovery, and pretrial motion practice in civil cases under Judges Boom and Weir, as well as consent, habeas, and pro se cases. - He also handles discovery disputes in all civil cases he oversees, and district judges may refer specific motions to him for ruling or management on a case-by-case basis - Birth place: Ashland, KY ## 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.kyed.uscourts.gov/judge-mas) - [Official roster](https://www.kyed.uscourts.gov/judge-mas) - [U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky current judicial profile](https://www.kyed.uscourts.gov/judge-mas) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9262/matthew-atwood-stinnett/) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9262/matthew-atwood-stinnett/) - [Official United States court source; CourtListener / Free Law Project judicial profile or roster](https://www.kyed.uscourts.gov/judge-mas) - [www.kyed.uscourts.gov](https://www.kyed.uscourts.gov/judges) - [www.kyed.uscourts.gov](https://www.kyed.uscourts.gov/general-orders-0) - [U.S. Courts judicial profile or roster](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/cjra_na_0331.2026.pdf#page=53) - [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) - [BR/MAG Judge Database: Matthew Atwood Stinnett](https://legaldatalab.law.virginia.edu/brmag-judges/brmag-judges.json) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/9262/matthew-atwood-stinnett/) - [Official United States court source; CourtListener / Free Law Project judicial profile or roster](https://www.kyed.uscourts.gov/judge-mas) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/matthew-atwood-stinnett", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/matthew-atwood-stinnett", "name": "Matthew A. 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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-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.