Gregory F. Van Tatenhove

(Redirected from Gregory Frederick Van Tatenhove )

In this Dutch name , the surname is Van Tatenhove, not Tatenhove.

Gregory Frederick Van Tatenhove (born April 2, 1960) is an American attorney and jurist who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky since 2005, and as dean of the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law since July 1, 2026. Previously, he served as the United States attorney for the district from 2001 to 2005.

Contents

• 1 Early life and career

• 2 Federal judicial service

  • 2.1 Notable cases

• 3 University of Kentucky College of Law deanship

  • 3.1 Appointment and controversy

• 4 Personal life

• 5 References

• 6 Sources

Early life and career

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Van Tatenhove was born in Los Angeles, California . He attended high school in Jessamine County , Kentucky , and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Asbury College (now Asbury University) in 1982.

He was then a legislative Senate aide of Mitch McConnell .

He attended the University of Kentucky College of Law where he obtained a Juris Doctor degree in 1989. He was a law clerk for Judge Eugene Edward Siler Jr. of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, from 1989 to 1990. Van Tatenhove served as a trial attorney for the US Department of Justice, Federal Programs Branch, from 1990 to 1994. From 1994 to 2001, he was chief of staff and legal counsel for congressman Ron Lewis . In 2001, George W. Bush appointed him as United States attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, a post he held from 2001 to 2005.

Federal judicial service

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On September 13, 2005, on the recommendation of Senators Jim Bunning and Mitch McConnell, President George W. Bush nominated Van Tatenhove to fill a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky previously held by Judge Karl Spillman Forester . A majority of the American Bar Association Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary rated Van Tatenhove not qualified, citing a lack of trial experience.

Van Tatenhove was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 21, 2005, and received his commission on January 5, 2006.

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron was a law clerk for Van Tatenhove for two years, in 2011–13.

Upon Cameron's election to Kentucky Attorney General, Van Tatenhove swore him into office.

Notable cases

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On October 11, 2014, Van Tatenhove held that Kentucky Educational Television did not have to allow a Libertarian candidate to be part of a debate with Mitch McConnell and Alison Lundergan Grimes, the candidate's opponents in a battle to be elected US Senator.

The chair of the Kentucky Libertarian Party said he was disgusted with the judge's ruling, given that the TV station had changed its standards for inclusion in the debate mid-stream.

On January 25, 2016, Van Tatenhove ruled in favor of the Christian apologetics , anti-evolution organization, Answers in Genesis , in the case of Ark Encounter vs. Bob Stewart, ordering the state to process the application for the tax rebate incentives for the Ark Encounter theme park that would become available once the attraction opened.

On March 30, 2018, he ruled that Governor Bevin did not violate the 1st amendment when he blocked viewers from his Facebook and Twitter accounts due to their political beliefs. His ruling contradicted a similar ruling that stated that then-president Donald Trump had violated the 1st amendment when blocking individuals from his Twitter account due to their political beliefs.

On May 8, 2020, Van Tatenhove, in a later-overturned opinion, ruled that Kentucky churches could hold in-person services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Kentucky starting May 10. In his ruling, he said that in-person meeting was essential for the church, writing "The orders at issue do not simply restrict religious expression; they restrict religious expression in an attempt to protect the public health during a global pandemic."

…

On October 11, 2014, Van Tatenhove held that Kentucky Educational Television did not have to allow a Libertarian candidate to be part of a debate with Mitch McConnell and Alison Lundergan Grimes, the candidate's opponents in a battle to be elected US Senator.

The chair of the Kentucky Libertarian Party said he was disgusted with the judge's ruling, given that the TV station had changed its standards for inclusion in the debate mid-stream. …