Gregory F. Van Tatenhove
How Judge Tatenhove rules, drawn from 28 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Tatenhove no longer sits on this court. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled here.
About Judge Tatenhove
Gregory Frederick Van Tatenhove was a judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Appointed by President George W. Bush, Judge Van Tatenhove received a commission on January 5, 2006. Judge Van Tatenhove retired on July 19, 2026.
How Judge Tatenhove decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
In the suppression ruling, compares the dog sniff's timing with the ongoing traffic citation and finds no extension of the stop on this record.
“There are no facts suggesting that the troopers actually extended the stop in any way, and if anything acted expeditiously in conducting the sniff while Smith was completing the ticket for the window tint.”
Procedural preferences
Dismisses an unexhausted Federal Tort Claims Act suit without prejudice because a plaintiff must file a new action after administrative exhaustion; equitable tolling does not cure premature filing.
“holding this matter in abeyance would directly conflict with binding Sixth Circuit precedent which requires a plaintiff to bring a FTCA claim after, and only after, exhausting administrative remedies.”
Cautions
Denies a fourteen day temporary restraining order when the alleged future enforcement injury could not be prevented within that period, while reserving the request for longer injunctive relief.
“But the irreparable harm the Plaintiffs allege is not immediately preventable by means of a temporary restraining order.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“The defendants' motion to dismiss [R. 15] is GRANTED.”
“the Wains have not pointed to any actual conflict of interest and have not satisfied the onerous burden of establishing that disqualification is appropriate”
“Defendant Medical Protective Company's Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings [R. 9] is GRANTED;”
“Because Plaintiffs have failed to satisfy the requirements of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65, their request for a Temporary Restraining Order is DENIED.”
“Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment [R. 33] is GRANTED. The case will be STRICKEN from the record”
“the Court GRANTS Plaintiff's motion to remand this case to the Franklin Circuit Court.”
“For the following reasons, the preliminary injunction is GRANTED in part.”
“The United States' Motion to Dismiss [R. 5] is GRANTED;”
“Plaintiff's Motion for Equitable Tolling [R. 6] is DENIED;”
“Defendant Fugate's Motion to Dismiss [R. 33] is GRANTED, and, thus, Rollins's civil rights claims against her are DISMISSED;”
“Defendants Kuehn and Ison's Motion to Dismiss [R. 54] is also GRANTED, and, as a result, Rollins's civil rights claims against them are likewise DISMISSED;”
“The Motion for Summary Judgment filed by Defendants Burkhart and Wilson [R. 66] is DENIED without prejudice to their right to reassert their motion at the appropriate time and in accordance with any future scheduling orders entered in the case;”
“The Defendants' Motion to Dismiss is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART;”
“The Counterclaim-Defendants' Motion to Dismiss [R. 15] is GRANTED in part and DENIED in part;”
“Jones' Motion Under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 to Vacate, Set Aside, or Correct Sentence [R. 142] is DENIED;”
“HBKY's Motion for Preliminary Injunction [R. 100] is DENIED;”
Pending matters in the official report
Reported by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts under the Civil Justice Reform Act, as of March 31, 2026.
| Motions pending more than six months | 0 |
| Bench trials submitted more than six months | 0 |
| Bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Social Security appeals pending more than six months | 0 |
| Civil cases pending more than three years | 8 |
| Report | Motions over six months | Cases over three years |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2026 | 0 | 8 |
| Sep 2025 | 0 | 7 |
| Mar 2025 | 0 | 6 |
| Sep 2024 | 0 | 8 |
| Mar 2024 | 0 | 8 |
| Sep 2023 | 0 | 8 |
| Mar 2023 | 0 | 12 |
| Sep 2022 | 0 | 9 |
| Mar 2022 | 0 | 6 |
| Sep 2021 | 0 | 9 |
| Mar 2021 | 0 | 10 |
| Sep 2020 | 0 | 7 |
A snapshot on that date: matters listed may since have been decided or reassigned. A motion referred to a magistrate judge is counted for both judges. Motions in multidistrict litigation, section 2255 cases and Social Security appeals are not counted, and a very large three-year count is generally a multidistrict docket. Source: Appendix A of the report (PDF); about the report.
A historical record
Judge Tatenhove no longer sits on this court. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled here. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.