civil · Lexington division · 5:26-cv-00262
Woodcock v. Van Tatenhove
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky, filed July 13, 2026.
- Docket number
- 5:26-cv-00262
- Court
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Kentucky — Lexington
- Date filed
- July 13, 2026
- Assigned to
- Benjamin J. Beaton
- Referred to
- Matthew Atwood Stinnett
- Nature of suit
- 440 Civil Rights: Other
- Cause
- 42:1983 Civil Rights Act
- Jurisdiction
- Federal Question
- Jury demand
- Plaintiff
- Records
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Parties (as listed)
- Ramsi A. Woodcock
- Robert DiPaola
- Eli Capilouto
- University of Kentucky
- Gregory Van Tatenhove
Party roles (plaintiff/defendant) are not exposed by the mirror; names are listed as they appear on the docket.
Recent docket entries
| Date | # | Entry |
|---|---|---|
| July 17, 2026 | 11 | TEXT ORDER re 10 EMERGENCY MOTION to Expedite, 9 AMENDED MOTION for Temporary Restraining Order, 2 MOTION for Temporary Restraining Order: This morning, the Chief Judge of the Sixth Circuit reassigned this case due to the apparent recusal of all judges of the Eastern District of Kentucky. Woodcock's lawsuit seeks, among other things, temporary emergency relief restraining the University of Kentucky and its leaders from installing a new dean of its law school. Temporary restraining orders of the sort Woodcock requests are extreme and rare remedies. See Granny Goose Foods, Inc. v. Brotherhood of Teamsters & Auto Truck Drivers Local No. 70 of Alameda County, 415 U.S. 423, 439 (1974). Among other things, they require a showing of irreparable harm absent the court's intervention. See id.; Fed. R. Civ. P. 65(b)(1)(A). Based on this Court's admittedly cursory review since reassignment, the relief that Woodcock requests appears to be either too early or too late to avoid the harm he seeks to prevent. On the one hand, he "ask[ed] this Court to grant his motion for a temporary restraining order before July 15, 2026." See DN 2 ("Because Van Tatenhove will start as dean on July 15, 2026, Woodcock respectfully asks this Court to grant his motion for a temporary restraining order before July 15, 2026."). That date came and went before the case's reassignment, though it's not entirely clear that the new dean has, in fact, taken office. On the other hand, Woodcock argues that the harm to "his First Amendment right to expressive association" was "significantly affected the moment that the University announced Van Tatenhove as the new dean." Id. at 23. To the extent that announcement represents irreparable harm, it's unclear how this Court could unring the bell. The Court is nevertheless mindful of the need for swift adjudication of requests for temporary emergency relief, and anticipates that recent developments in this case may lead Woodcock to clarify his position with respect to the critical question of imminent and irreparable harm. Should he wish to file a new brief addressing this issue, the Court will promptly review any such filing. On initial review of the current record, however, the Court would struggle to conclude that a TRO is necessary to avoid irreparable harm, even accounting for the irreparability of many abridgements of speech and even assuming Woodcock could make a sufficient showing regarding his likelihood of success on the merits, the lack of harm to others, and the public interest. See Granny Goose Foods, 415 U.S. at 439; Mazurek v. Armstrong, 520 U.S. 968, 972 (1997) ("[A] preliminary injunction is an extraordinary and drastic remedy, one that should not be granted unless the movant, by a clear showing, carries the burden of persuasion.") (quoting 11A C. Wright, A. Miller, & M. Kane, Federal Practice and Procedure § 2948, pp. 129130 (2d ed.1995)). Any such filing by Woodcock should also address the question of service and any other issues ripe for this Court's review. Judge Benjamin J. Beaton on 7/17/2026.(STC)cc: COR (Entered: 07/17/2026) |
| July 17, 2026 | Clerk's Note re 11 Order. Formatting for original text order entry did not transfer to CM/ECF. Clerk deleted incorrect entry and re-entered with correct formatting.(STC) | |
| July 17, 2026 | Case Assigned to United States District Judge Benjamin J. Beaton by Designation of Circuit Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton. (STC) |
A complaint or indictment is an allegation. Nothing here is a finding of liability or guilt unless a docket entry says the court entered one.