Jump to content

Jennifer B. Coffman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 107.145.77.108 (talk) at 16:45, 13 June 2017 (→Federal judicial service: rewrite for clarity, style, and grammar). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Jennifer B. Coffman
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
In office
2007–2012
Preceded byJoseph Martin Hood
Succeeded byKaren K. Caldwell
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
In office
October 1, 1993 – January 8, 2013
Appointed byBill Clinton
Preceded byEugene E. Siler, Jr.
Personal details
Born1948 (age 75–76)
Union City, Tennessee
EducationUniversity of Kentucky B.A., M.S.
University of Kentucky College of Law J.D.

Jennifer B. Coffman (born 1948) is a former United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky and the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.

Education and career

Born in Union City, Tennessee, Coffman received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kentucky in 1969, a Master of Science from the same institution in 1971, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1978. She was in private practice in Lexington, Kentucky from 1977 to 1993, also teaching as an adjunct instructor at the University of Kentucky College of Law from 1979 to 1981.

Federal judicial service

On August 6, 1993, Coffman was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a joint appointment to both the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky and the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, both seats having been vacated by Eugene E. Siler, Jr., who had held the same joint appointment. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on September 30, 1993, and received her commission on October 1, 1993. She served as the Chief Judge of the Eastern District from 2007 to 2012. She also served a seven-year term on the secret FISA Court starting in 2011 until she retired from all of her appointments, effective January 8, 2013.[1] She was the first female judge appointed to the Federal courts in Kentucky.[2]

Notable observation

In 2013, following the gay rights decisions in Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor, Kentucky circuit court Judge Tim Philpot wrote an Op-Ed titled "Rulings do not change Ky. law on gay marriage."[3] Coffman wrote an Op-Ed in response, highly critical of Philpot's judgement in writing the piece and declaring that he had risked his judicial integrity and concluded that "Philpot might have foreclosed his ability to sit on any case involving gay marriage because his comments raise a question of bias on the topic of sexual orientation."[4] Coffman also criticised Philpot for dismissing principles of judicial interpretation as "boring and technical", for gratuitously mentioning Walker's sexuality,[4] and for ridiculing judicial review with his observation that then-Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California Vaughn Walker's declaration that Proposition 8 was unconstitutional amounted to "one trial judge trump[ing] every voter in California."[2][3]

References

  1. ^ "The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court: 2013 Membership". Federation of American Scientists. Retrieved June 9, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Lat, David (August 12, 2013). "Benchslap Of The Day: Federal Judge Tells State Judge To Shut His Mouth". Above the Law. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Philpot, Tim (July 29, 2013). "Rulings do not change Ky. law on gay marriage". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Coffman, Jennifer (August 12, 2013). "There's a reason justice is blind, silent". Lexington Herald Leader. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
1993–2013 		Vacant
Preceded by Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
2007–2012 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jennifer_B._Coffman&oldid=785456090"