[3][4] His paternal grandfather was Raymond W. Ketchledge, an engineer who invented an acoustically guided torpedo that was used to sink dozens of German U-boats during World War II.

He then attended the University of Michigan Law School, graduating in 1993 ranked second in his class with a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude.

Following that, Kethledge clerked for Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1997–1998, where he was a co-clerk with Stephanos Bibas and Mary-Rose Papandrea, a distinguished professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

After completing his Supreme Court clerkship, Kethledge returned to Michigan in 1998 to join the law firm of Honigman, Miller, Schwartz & Cohn, where he became a partner.

[8] Kethledge was first nominated to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit by President George W. Bush on June 28, 2006, to replace Judge James L.

In April 2008, the Bush Administration struck a deal with Levin and Stabenow to break the logjam on judicial nominees to federal courts in Michigan.

2016), saying: "Writing for a unanimous three-judge panel, Judge Raymond Kethledge dismantled that argument and excoriated the IRS for stonewalling..." Commentators have noted that Kethledge has "broadly criticized judicial deference and specifically criticized deference to federal agencies under Chevron"[15] and "has set himself apart as a dedicated defender of the Constitution's structural protections.

2018), Kethledge joined a concurring opinion that argued "faithful adherence to the Constitution and its Amendments requires us to examine their terms as they were commonly understood when the text was adopted and ratified."

Kethledge joined a concurring opinion that quoted District of Columbia v. Heller and declared, "What determines the scope of the right to bear arms are the 'historical justifications' that gave birth to it."

Through these profiles, Kethledge illustrates how leaders must identify their first principles "with enough clarity and conviction to hold fast to [them]—even when, inevitably, there are great pressures to yield."

"[26] The Green Bag Almanac has recognized Judge Kethledge for "exemplary legal writing" in two different years: in 2013 (for Bennett v. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance) and in 2017 (for Wayside Church v. Van Buren County).