At long last, Chad Meredith will have a place on the federal bench.
Meredith, a former solicitor general for the state and deputy general counsel under former Gov. Matt Bevin, was confirmed Oct. 23 by the U.S. Senate to serve as a district judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
President Donald Trump nominated Meredith over the summer, calling him “highly experienced and well qualified.”
He also had the backing of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell. The senator offered his congratulations on the lifetime appointment in a statement after his confirmation, which came on a 48-45 party-line vote.
“Chad’s impressive legal background in the private sector and devotion to serving the public make him an excellent addition to the federal bench,” McConnell said. “His thoughtfulness and commitment to our Constitution will serve him well as he carries out his new duties.”
Chad Meredith
McConnell has wanted Meredith, a Leitchfield native who has worked in recent years at Cincinnati’s Squire Patton Boggs law office, in the federal judgeship for years. The new judge did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent to his company email address.
Meredith has a reputation as a fierce opponent of abortion and a supporter of “right-to-work” laws, which are opposed by labor unions. He drew attention in 2020 after The Courier Journal reported he was among Bevin’s legal staff members involved in pardon applications that drew an onslaught of criticism. His personal lawyer previously said Meredith had “no meaningful involvement” with the ex-governor’s most controversial pardons.
A previous attempt by McConnell to find a place on the bench for Meredith fell short during former President Joe Biden’s lone term in office.
Biden planned to nominate Meredith during the summer of 2022 for the judgeship, despite opposition from Democrats who disagreed with his positions. Then-U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth and other officials told The Courier Journal at the time the nomination appeared to be part of a deal between the president and McConnell in which the senator agreed to not hold up additional federal nominations in the future.
That nomination was eventually pulled after Sen. Rand Paul, McConnell’s counterpart in the chamber, did not support it because the purported deal took place without his input, though he noted at the time that he had no personal objections to Meredith as a nominee.
In an Oct. 23 social media post after Meredith was confirmed, Paul congratulated him, saying he believed Meredith “will be an excellent judge and impartial defender of the Constitution.”
From 2022: Who is Chad Meredith? What to know about the controversial judicial nominee
Meredith is the son of Stephen Meredith, a state senator. The chamber’s Republican leaders applauded his confirmation in a statement after the vote, calling it “a momentous occasion for Kentucky and a proud milestone for the Meredith family.”
“Chad Meredith’s distinguished legal career, steadfast commitment to constitutional principles, and unwavering integrity have earned him broad respect across the legal community,” their statement said. “His confirmation not only recognizes his impressive qualifications but also affirms the importance of judicial restraint and constitutional fidelity.”
Still, not everyone was celebrating.
The National Women’s Law Center opposed his nomination and called him “one of the most extreme anti-abortion partisans” in a release published after the vote.
“This is a man who has devoted his career to controlling women’s bodies and eliminating the right to abortion,” said Alison Gill, the organization’s director of nominations and democracy. “… Meredith’s confirmation marks yet another step in Project 2025’s plan to turn our courts into tools for banning abortion nationwide.”
Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Chad Meredith confirmed by Senate as federal judge in Eastern Kentucky
