Charles Ralph Simpson III

Charles Ralph Simpson III
Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
Incumbent
Assumed office February 1, 2013
Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
In office 1994–2001
Preceded by	Ronald Edward Meredith
Succeeded by	John G. Heyburn II
Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
In office August 4, 1986 – February 1, 2013
Appointed by	Ronald Reagan
Preceded by	Charles M. Allen
Succeeded by	David J. Hale
Personal details
Born	Charles Ralph Simpson III (1945-07-08) July 8, 1945 (age 79) Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Education	University of Louisville (BA, JD)

Charles Ralph Simpson III (born July 8, 1945) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.

Education and career

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Simpson received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Louisville in 1967 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1970. He was in private practice in Louisville, Kentucky from 1971 to 1986. He was a part-time staff counsel, Jefferson County Judge/Executive from 1978 to 1984, and also a Jefferson County alcoholic beverage control administrator from 1983 to 1984. He was the city clerk of the City of Rolling Fields from 1985 to 1986.[1]

Federal judicial service

On June 6, 1986, Simpson was nominated by President Ronald Reagan to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky vacated by Judge Charles M. Allen. Simpson was confirmed by the United States Senate on August 1, 1986, and received his commission on August 4, 1986. He served as chief judge from 1994 to 2001. He assumed senior status on February 1, 2013.[1]

Controversy

On August 23, 2024, Simpson made the controversial ruling to dismiss the most serious charge against former Louisville police officers in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor, blaming the officer's homicidal actions on her boyfriend's justified use of self-defense during the home invasion she was murdered in. The dismissed charge alleged that the officers deprived Taylor of her civil rights by subjecting the 26-year-old woman to an unreasonable firearm home raid with a warrant obtained on falsified grounds.[2][3]

Taylor's death sparked widespread protests and calls for police reform, and the legal proceedings have been a focal point of intense public scrutiny.

References

1. Charles Ralph Simpson III at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
2. "Judge rules Breonna Taylor's boyfriend caused her death, dismisses some charges against ex-officers". apnews.com.
3. "Judge dismisses felony against former Louisville officers behind Breonna Taylor search warrant". reuters.com.

Sources

• Charles Ralph Simpson III at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Legal offices
Preceded by Charles M. Allen	Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky 1986–2013	Succeeded by David J. Hale
Preceded by Ronald Edward Meredith	Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky 1994–2001	Succeeded by John G. Heyburn II