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Draft:Chad Meredith

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Chad Meredith
1st Solicitor General of Kentucky
In office
2019–2021
Preceded byposition established
Succeeded byMatt Kuhn
Personal details
BornLexington, Kentucky
Political partyRepublican
RelationsStephen Meredith (father)
EducationWashington and Lee
University
(B.A.)
University of Kentucky
College of Law
(J.D.)

Stephen Chad Meredith[1] (known professionally as Chad Meredith) is an American lawyer who served as solicitor general of Kentucky from 2019 to 2021. He has been announced as a nominee for United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Meredith is currently a partner at the law firm of Squire Patton Boggs.[2]

Early life and education

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A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Meredith is the son of Stephen Meredith, a member of the Kentucky Senate. Meredith earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Washington and Lee University in 2004. While at Washington and Lee, Meredith was inducted as a member of the Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies.[3] He earned his Juris Doctor, summa cum laude and Order of the Coif, from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2007.[4][5]

Meredith is a member of the Federalist Society.[4]

Career

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Counsel to Governor Bevin and Solicitor General

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After law school, Meredith served as a law clerk for Judge John M. Rogers and Judge Amul Thapar before joining Frost Brown Todd as a litigator. He later worked for Ransdell & Roach before joining the administration of Governor Matt Bevin in 2015 as chief deputy general counsel. In December 2019, Attorney General Danial Cameron appointed Meredith as the commonwealth's first solicitor general, a position he would continue to hold until 2021.[6]

Unsuccessful nominations

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In 2020, Meredith was vetted to possibly be nominated by President Donald Trump to the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky following the elevation of Judge Justin R. Walker to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. However, Meredith was passed over in favor of Benjamin Beaton.[7]

In late-June 2022, it was reported that President Joe Biden would nominate Meredith to serve as a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.[8] The nomination announcement was originally scheduled for June 24, the same day the Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization decision was released. The plan to nominate Meredith, which was struck between Biden and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, was criticized due to Meredith's anti-abortion stances.[9][10] Despite McConnell's support, the nomination was never formally put forward by Biden in accordance with the blue slip rule due to opposition from Senator Rand Paul.[11]

Trump nomination to the Eastern District of Kentucky

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On June 18, 2025, President Trump announced his intention to nominate Meredith to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky to a seat vacated by Senior Judge Danny C. Reeves. The nomination has not yet been transmitted to the United States Senate.[12] Senator Paul has stated he will support Meredith's nomination despite his previous opposition in 2022.[11]

Publications

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References

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  1. ^ "Stephen C. Meredith". kybar.org. Kentucky Bar Association. May 26, 2025. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  2. ^ "S. Chad Meredith | M | Professionals | Squire Patton Boggs". www.squirepattonboggs.com.
  3. ^ "The Calyx". Washington and Lee University Digital Archive. 2004. p. 46-47. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Hon. S. Chad Meredith". fedsoc.org. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  5. ^ "S. Chad Meredith". squirepattonboggs.com. Squire Patton Boggs. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  6. ^ Wolfson, Mike Trautmann, Joe Sonka and Andrew. "Who is Chad Meredith, the anti-abortion Republican President Biden plans to make a judge?". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2022-07-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Wolfson, Andrew. "Young conservative who clerked for Ginsburg nominated to the federal bench in Louisville". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  8. ^ Vazquez, Maegan; Diaz, Daniella; Lee, MJ (June 30, 2022). "Biden intends to nominate a conservative, anti-abortion lawyer to federal judgeship, Kentucky Democrats say". cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  9. ^ Stern, Mark Joseph (2022-07-01). "The Biden-McConnell Deal to Make an Anti-Abortion Advocate a Federal Judge Is Still On". Slate Magazine. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  10. ^ "Biden's Planned Nomination of Anti-Abortion Judge Outrages Left". Bloomberg.com. 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  11. ^ a b "President Donald Trump's latest judicial pick is someone that Joe Biden almost nominated". AP News. 2025-06-19. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  12. ^ Ward, Jasper (June 19, 2025). "Trump taps Kentucky lawyer for judgeship after scrapped Biden nomination". reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved June 19, 2025.