The Honorable Matthew A. Stinnett
United States Magistrate Judge
US District Court
101 Barr Street
Lexington, KY 40507

Phone: (859) 300-8120
Email: Stinnett_Chambers@kyed.uscourts.gov

Common Documents & Forms

FAQs

Criminal

i. Petty Offense Protocols

ii. Search Warrants and Similar Matters

Civil

i. Discovery Disputes

ii. Settlement Conferences

iii. Video Settlement Conference Protocols

iv. Protective Orders

v. Consent to Proceed before Judge Stinnett

General

i. Video Hearing Protocols

ii. Recordings & Transcripts

iii. Law Clerk Hiring Information

iv. CM/ECF and Filing Questions

Criminal

i. Petty Offense Protocols:

1. Petty offense matters (federal violation notices and tickets) are heard at a docket call on the third Thursday of February, April, June, August, October, and December, at 1:00 p.m.  Please arrive at 12:30 p.m. if you wish to speak to the prosecutor or contest your violation.  If you wish to pay your fine in advance, please click here.

ii. Search Warrants and Similar Matters:

1. If a person or party is seeking a copy of an executed search warrant or other magistrate judge matter, those matters are available via the Court’s Case Management/Electronic Case Filing ("CM/ECF") system to the extent they are not sealed from public access.

Civil

i. Discovery Disputes:

1. Generally, discovery disputes are resolved as directed by the scheduling order propounded by the district court judge.  In most cases, the parties shall contact chambers, either at Stinnett_Chambers@kyed.uscourts.gov or (859) 300-8120, to notify Judge Stinnett of a pending discovery dispute. The parties should indicate how urgent the request is and the approximate length of time the discovery dispute teleconference will require.  Judge Stinnett will then issue an order requiring the parties to each submit a maximum two-page letter outlining their positions on the discovery dispute.  These letters shall be in PDF format and should be provided to Chambers by email (Stinnett_Chambers@kyed.uscourts.gov).  Counsel shall copy opposing counsel.  Counsel may submit any relevant (but strictly targeted) portions of filings and other papers concerning the dispute as attachments to the letters.  The Court will also schedule a teleconference to address the dispute.

2. In advance of the call, and as a predicate to the call, the parties shall confer to reach an agreed resolution.

3. Following the hearing, Judge Stinnett will quickly issue a succinct, provisional ruling that resolves the pending dispute, subject to any later order.  Either party will then have leave to file a formal motion with full briefing to seek relief as to the dispute keeping in mind Local Rule 37.1.  Judge Stinnett, upon completion of briefing, will issue an opinion that will be appealable to the sitting district court judge.

ii. Settlement Conferences:

1. The Court has standard procedures for all settlement conferences.  First, unless excused by the Court, clients or client representatives with authority to negotiate and consummate a settlement shall be in attendance at the settlement conference.  In the case of a governmental or corporate entity, an authorized representative of the governmental entity or the corporation who has settlement authority is to be present.  Under no circumstances will counsel of record be deemed to be the proper client representative for settlement purposes.  Any insurance company that is a party or is contractually required to defend or indemnify any party, in whole or in part, must also have an authorized settlement representative present at the conference.  Failure of any of the parties to appear will result in either dismissal or default being entered against them.

2. Pursuant to a Court order, the parties will be required to timely submit a confidential settlement statement, no longer than five (5) pages, that provides: (a) a brief statement of the facts giving rise to this action; (b) a description of the strongest and weakest points in your case and in your opponent’s case, both legal and factual; (c) any major obstacle(s) to settlement; (d) the name of each person participating in or attending the settlement conference on your behalf and certifying they have settlement authority; and (e) any attached document(s) the parties believe is necessary for the Court to review prior to the settlement conference.

3. Please file a motion with the Court requesting a settlement conference or contact chambers directly to schedule via Stinnett_Chambers@kyed.uscourts.gov or (859) 300-8120.

iii. Video Settlement Conference Protocols:

1. If the parties so desire, the parties may request, either directly through chambers or through motion practice, that the settlement conference be conducted through videoconferencing.  Judge Stinnett will approve such requests in his discretion.  If approved, Judge Stinnett will provide meeting invites via Microsoft Teams with a virtual, private room created for each party as well a virtual room created for all parties.  The video settlement conference, just like an in-person settlement conference, will begin in the joint virtual room with the parties breaking out into their respective private, virtual rooms.

iv. Protective Orders:

1. Parties may craft protective orders in civil cases as they believe are necessary to protect confidential and sensitive material during civil discovery.  The Court, however, remains the sole arbiter of which documents are sealed in the public record and any such request for sealing must comply with LR 5.6.

v. Consent to Proceed before Judge Stinnett:

1. Judge Stinnett encourages parties to consent to his jurisdiction so that he may preside over the entirety of the case, including ruling on dispositive motions and presiding over any trial.  Because Judge Stinnett does not handle felony criminal cases, he generally is able to accommodate the requests of counsel for secure trial dates.  Parties are encouraged to read 28 U.S.C. § 636 and Fed. R. Civ. P. 73 regarding trial by consent and discuss this option with their clients and opposing counsel.  The form for Consent to Proceed Before a Magistrate Judge in a Civil Action is provided above.

General

i. Video Hearing Protocols:

1. Judge Stinnett occasionally schedules various hearings virtually, as necessary.  Parties may contact Chambers via email or telephone, or file a motion in the record, to request that an in-person hearing be converted to videoconference.  Judge Stinnett will promptly rule on any such request.  The common link for all virtual hearings before Judge Stinnett is: https://join.uc.uscourts.gov/invited.sf?secret=USqJlkzkfQ3eoyYxzO0XPg&id=156513109.  Participants may contact Chambers or the IT Helpdesk ((859) 233-2506) for technical assistance related to any scheduled virtual proceeding.

ii. Recordings & Transcripts:

1. Judge Stinnett’s hearings are generally recorded using Electronic Court Reporting.  The only means to obtain a copy of the audio recording is to file the relevant form in the case of record.  To obtain a certified transcript of a hearing, whether originally recorded using Electronic Court Reporting or a court reporter, you must file the relevant form in the case of record and the court reporter will contact you.  If you have any questions about obtaining a transcript, please call (859) 514-2252.

iii. Law Clerk Hiring Information:

1. Judge Stinnett welcomes all applications for clerkships.  The availability of such positions varies depending upon the terms of the current law clerks.  The next available position will open in August of 2025.  Judge Stinnett is currently open to any and all applications for that position.   Any applications should be sent via PDF format to Stinnett_Chambers@kyed.uscourts.gov.  The application should include a cover letter, a resume (including grade point average and class rank), and a writing sample.

iv. CM/ECF and Filing Questions:

1. Counsel and pro se parties should contact the Clerk’s Office with any questions concerning general filing, CM/ECF docketing mechanics, or case specific questions.  Counsel may contact the CM/ECF Help Desk with questions concerning electronic filing.  The telephone numbers for each Court location is available here.  Help Desk can be reached at (866) 485-6349, Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET.