James Hilary Mulligan (November 21, 1844 – July 1, 1915) was a judge, politician, and poet from Kentucky.
He graduated from St. Mary's College (Collège Sainte-Marie de Montréal) in 1864 and received his law degree from Kentucky University (now Transylvania University) in 1869.
While in Samoa, he befriended Scottish novelist Robert Louis Stevenson.
Judge Mulligan married Genevieve Morgan Williams in 1881 and they had six children.
His home, Maxwell Place, is now the official residence of the president of the University of Kentucky.