David Bunning

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David Louis Bunning (born 1966) is the chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. He grew up in Fort Thomas, Kentucky, the son of former U.S. Senator and Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning. He earned a BA from the University of Kentucky in 1988 and a JD from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1991. He worked as a law clerk for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Kentucky in 1991 and then served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1991 to 2002.

President George W. Bush nominated him to the court in 2001 to replace William Bertelsman. The American Bar Association raised concerns about his age and experience, but he was unanimously confirmed by the Senate on February 14, 2002, and received his commission on February 19, 2002. He became chief judge on February 1, 2025. In 2015, he issued a contempt ruling against Rowan County clerk Kim Davis for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, stating that the government must follow Supreme Court decisions even if people disagree.