Regina S. Edwards ’91 has been appointed a U.S. magistrate judge for the Western District of Kentucky in Louisville. Edwards previously served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, where she has served as chief of the Civil Division and as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney.
Edwards filled a vacancy created by the retirement of Magistrate Judge Dave Whalin. Her selection was announced by Chief Judge Joseph H. McKinley Jr. of the Western District of Kentucky.
A native of Harlan County, Kentucky, Edwards graduated with honors from the University of Kentucky with degrees in psychology and sociology before earning her law degree at Vanderbilt, where she was a GM Scholar and president of the Black Law Students Association.
Edwards began her legal career as a judicial clerk for Judge John T. Nixon ’60 of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. She practiced as an associate with Frost Brown Todd before entering government service. In addition to her duties within the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she has held a number of collateral roles with the Department of Justice, including serving as an investigator and mediator with the DOJ’s Equality Employment Opportunity program and as an evaluator with the executive office for U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. She is also a frequent instructor at the National Advocacy Center.
Edwards has been involved with numerous community boards and civic organizations in Louisville. She also hold a culinary degree that she has used to teach basic cooking skills to children at community centers. She lives in Old Historic Louisville with her husband and their three children.