Danny C. Reeves

Danny Clyde Reeves (born 1957) is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Early life and education Born in Corbin, Kentucky, Reeves received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Eastern Kentucky University in 1978 and a Juris Doctor from Salmon P. Chase College of Law at Northern Kentucky University in 1981. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 6, 2001, and received his commission on December 10, 2001. He became chief judge on August 16, 2019. He assumed senior status on February 1, 2025.

United States Sentencing Commission On March 15, 2016, President Barack Obama nominated Reeves for a position on the United States Sentencing Commission, which would expire on October 31, 2021. On July 13, 2016, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. His nomination expired with the end of the 114th Congress on January 3, 2017. He was renominated by President Obama on January 17, 2017. His nomination was withdrawn by President Donald Trump on February 28, 2017, but Trump renominated him on March 1, 2017. On March 9, 2017, his nomination was reported out of committee. On March 21, 2017, his nomination was confirmed by a 98–0 vote. His term ended in March 2021.

Title IX case In January 2025, Reeves blocked the Biden administration's Title IX rule, which would have amended the federal government's definition of sex to include gender identity. Judge Reeves found the rule to be "arbitrary and capricious" and concluded that it “conflict[ed] with the plain language of Title IX.”