Clifton L. Corker
Clifton L. Corker is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. He was nominated to the court by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on November 13, 2018, and confirmed by theUnited States Senate on July 18, 2019, by a vote of 55-39.[1][2] He received commission on July 22, 2019. To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.[3]
TheUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee is one of 94U.S. district courts. They are the generaltrial courts of theUnited States federal courts. To learn more about the court,click here.
Corker was afederal magistrate judge for theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Corker joined the court on April 30, 2015, to a term that would have expired on April 29, 2023.[4] His term ended when he received commission to the court.
Judicial nominations and appointments
Eastern District of Tennessee (2019-present)
On October 10, 2018, PresidentDonald Trump (R) announced his intent to nominate Corker to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.[5] TheU.S. Senate received the nomination November 13.[1] TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Corker's nomination November 28.[6] He was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on July 18, 2019, by a vote of 55-39.[2] To read more about the federal nominations process,click here.
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Clifton L. Corker |
| Court:United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 247 days after nomination. |
 ANominated: November 13, 2018 |
| AABA Rating:Unanimously Well Qualified |
| Questionnaire:Questionnaire |
| AHearing: November 28, 2018 |
| QFRs:QFRs(Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| AReported: February 7, 2019 |
| AConfirmed: July 18, 2019 |
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Corker on July 18, 2019, on a vote of 55-39.[2] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.
| Corker confirmation vote (July 18, 2019) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic | 3 | 38 | 4 | ||||||
 Republican | 52 | 0 | 1 | ||||||
 Independent | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 55 | 39 | 6 | ||||||
Change in Senate rules
Corker was confirmed to a U.S. District Court under a new precedent the Senate established.
On April 3, 2019, theU.S. Senate voted 51-48 in favor of a change to chamber precedent lowering the maximum time allowed for debate on executive nominees to posts below the Cabinet level and on nominees todistrict court judgeships from 30 hours after invokingcloture to two.[7]
The change was passed under a procedure, often referred to as thenuclear option, that requires 51 votes rather than 60.[8]
It was the third use of thenuclear option in Senate history. In 2013, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold to confirm presidential nominees, except those to theSupreme Court. In 2017, it was used to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required to confirm Supreme Court nominees.[9] For more, seeFilibuster and reconciliation in the United States Congress.
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
TheSenate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Corker's nomination on November 28, 2018.[10]
TheSenate Judiciary Committee favorably reported Corker's nomination on February 7, 2019.[11]Click here to see how the committee voted. Corker's nomination was one of 44 that Sen.Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) reported that day.
Nomination
On November 13, 2018, PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Corker to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. He was nominated to succeed JudgeRonnie Greer, who assumedsenior status on June 30, 2018.[1]
At thesine die adjournment of the115th Congress on January 3, 2019, the Senate returned Corker's nomination to President Trump.[12] Corker was one of 51 individuals the president re-nominated on January 23, 2019.[13]
TheAmerican Bar Association rated Corkerunanimously well qualified for the position.[14]
Eastern District of Tennessee (2015-2019)
Corker was appointed to theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee as afederal magistrate judge on April 30, 2015. His eight-year term would have expired on April 29, 2023.[4] He left the seat when he was confirmed to theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee as an Article IIIfederal judge.
Education
Corker earned his B.B.A. from James Madison University and hisJ.D. from William & Mary's Marshall-Wythe School of Law in 1993.[4][5]
Professional career
- 2019-present:Federal judge,United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
- 2015-2019:Federal magistrate judge,United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
- 1996-2015: Attorney in private practice
- 1995-1996: Associate, Terry, Terry & Stapleton
- 1993-1994: Law clerk, HonorableCynthia Kinser of theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Virginia[4][5]
About the court
| Eastern District of Tennessee |
|---|
| Sixth Circuit |
 |
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 5 |
| Judges: 5 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief:Travis Randall McDonough |
| Active judges:Charles Atchley Jr.,Clifton L. Corker,Katherine Crytzer,Travis Randall McDonough,Thomas Varlan Senior judges: |
TheUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee is one of 94United States district courts. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to theUnited States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit based in downtownCincinnati at the Potter A. Stewart Federal Courthouse and Building.
The Eastern District of Tennessee hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
Based in Knoxville, the Eastern District of Tennessee maintains branch facilities in Chattanooga, Greenville, and Winchester.
There are four court divisions, each covering the following counties:
TheNortheastern Division, coveringCarter,Cocke,Greene,Hamblen,Hancock,Hawkins,Johnson,Sullivan,Unicoi andWashington counties.
TheNorthern Division, coveringAnderson,Blount,Campbell,Claiborne,Grainger,Jefferson,Knox,Loudon,Monroe,Morgan,Roane,Scott,Sevier andUnion counties.
TheSouthern Division, coveringBledsoe,Bradley,Hamilton,McMinn,Marion,Meigs,Polk,Rhea andSequatchie counties.
TheWinchester Division, coveringBedford,Coffee,Franklin,Grundy,Lincoln,Moore,Warren andVan Buren counties.
To read opinions published by this court, clickhere.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by theSenate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends ablue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
- United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
External links
Officeholder United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee |
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
- United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
- Biography from theFederal Judicial Center
- White House announcement nominating Corker to the Eastern District of Tennessee
Footnotes
- ↑1.01.11.2Congress.gov, "PN2590 — Clifton L. Corker — The Judiciary," accessed November 28, 2018
- ↑2.02.12.2Congress.gov, "PN227 — Clifton L. Corker — The Judiciary," accessed July 22, 2019
- ↑Federal Judicial Center, "Corker, Clifton Leland," accessed July 25, 2019
- ↑4.04.14.24.3Johnson City Press, "Johnson City attorney Corker named to federal post," April 30, 2015
- ↑5.05.15.2WhiteHouse.gov, "President Donald J. Trump Announces Eighteenth Wave of Judicial Nominees, Eighteenth Wave of United States Attorney Nominees, and Thirteenth Wave of United States Marshal Nominees," October 10, 2018
- ↑Committee on the Judiciary, "Nominations," November 28, 2018
- ↑The Hill, "GOP triggers 'nuclear option' to speed up Trump picks," April 3, 2019
- ↑Axios, "Senate GOP invokes 'nuclear option' to speed up confirmations of Trump nominees," April 3, 2019
- ↑NBC News, "McConnell to use 'nuclear option' to confirm lower-level nominees," April 2, 2019
- ↑Committee on the Judiciary, "Nominations," November 28, 2018
- ↑U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, "Results of Executive Business Meeting," February 7, 2019
- ↑Under Senate Rule XXXI, paragraph 6 of the Standing Rules of the Senate, pending nominations are returned to the president if the Senate adjournssine die or recesses for more than 30 days.Congressional Research Service, "Senate Consideration of Presidential Nominations: Committee and Floor Procedure," April 11, 2017
- ↑WhiteHouse.gov, "Nominations Sent to the Senate," January 23, 2019
- ↑American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees, 115th Congress," accessed November 28, 2018
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee 2019-Present | Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - | United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee -2019 | Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Thomas Parker •Elizabeth Branch •Neil Gorsuch •Amul Thapar •David C. Nye •John K. Bush •Kevin Newsom •Timothy J. Kelly •Ralph Erickson •Scott Palk •Trevor McFadden •Joan Larsen •Amy Coney Barrett •Allison Eid •Stephanos Bibas •Donald Coggins Jr. •Dabney Friedrich •Greg Katsas •Steven Grasz •Don Willett •James Ho •William L. Campbell Jr. •David Stras •Tilman E. Self III •Karen Gren Scholer •Terry A. Doughty •Claria Horn Boom •John Broomes •Rebecca Grady Jennings •Kyle Duncan •Kurt Engelhardt •Michael B. Brennan •Joel Carson •Robert Wier •Fernando Rodriguez Jr. •Annemarie Carney Axon • | ||
| 2018 | Andrew Oldham •Amy St. Eve •Michael Scudder •John Nalbandian •Mark Bennett •Andrew Oldham •Britt Grant •Colm Connolly •Maryellen Noreika •Jill Otake •Jeffrey Beaverstock •Emily Coody Marks •Holly Lou Teeter •Julius Richardson •Charles B. Goodwin •Barry Ashe •Stan Baker •A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr. •Terry F. Moorer •Susan Baxter •William Jung •Alan Albright •Dominic Lanza •Eric Tostrud •Charles Williams •Nancy E. Brasel •James Sweeney •Kari A. Dooley •Marilyn J. Horan •Robert Summerhays •Brett Kavanaugh •David Porter •Liles Burke •Michael Juneau •Peter Phipps •Lance Walker •Richard Sullivan •Eli Richardson •Ryan Nelson •Chad F. Kenney, Sr. •Susan Brnovich •William M. Ray, II •Jeremy Kernodle •Thomas Kleeh •J.P. Hanlon •Mark Norris •Jonathan Kobes •Michael Brown •David Counts | ||
| 2019 | Eric Miller •Chad Readler •Eric Murphy •Neomi Rao •Paul Matey •Allison Jones Rushing •Bridget S. Bade •Roy Altman •Patrick Wyrick •Holly Brady •David Morales •Andrew Brasher •J. Campbell Barker •Rodolfo Ruiz •Daniel Domenico •Michael Truncale •Michael Park •Joseph Bianco •Raúl Arias-Marxuach •Daniel Collins •Joshua Wolson •Wendy Vitter •Kenneth Kiyul Lee •Kenneth Bell •Stephen Clark •Howard Nielson •Rodney Smith •Jean-Paul Boulee •Sarah Daggett Morrison •Rossie Alston •Pamela A. Barker •Corey Maze •Greg Guidry •Matthew Kacsmaryk •Allen Winsor •Carl Nichols •James Cain, Jr. •Tom Barber •J. Nicholas Ranjan •Clifton L. Corker •Peter Phipps •Daniel Bress •Damon Leichty •Wendy W. Berger •Peter Welte •Michael Liburdi •William Shaw Stickman •Mark Pittman •Karin J. Immergut •Jason Pulliam •Brantley Starr •Brian Buescher •James Wesley Hendrix •Timothy Reif •Martha Pacold •Sean Jordan •Mary Rowland •John M. Younge •Jeff Brown •Ada Brown •Steven Grimberg •Stephanie A. Gallagher •Steven Seeger •Stephanie Haines •Mary McElroy •David J. Novak •Frank W. Volk •Charles Eskridge •Rachel Kovner •Justin Walker •T. Kent Wetherell •Danielle Hunsaker •Lee Rudofsky •Jennifer Philpott Wilson • William Nardini •Steven Menashi •Robert J. Luck •Eric Komitee •Douglas Cole •John Sinatra •Sarah Pitlyk •Barbara Lagoa •Richard Myers II •Sherri Lydon •Patrick Bumatay •R. Austin Huffaker • Miller Baker •Anuraag Singhal •Karen Marston •Jodi Dishman •Mary Kay Vyskocil •Matthew McFarland •John Gallagher •Bernard Jones •Kea Riggs •Robert J. Colville •Stephanie Dawkins Davis •Gary R. Brown •David Barlow • Lewis Liman | ||
| 2020 | Lawrence VanDyke •Daniel Traynor •John Kness •Joshua Kindred •Philip Halpern •Silvia Carreno-Coll •Scott Rash •John Heil •Anna Manasco •John L. Badalamenti •Drew Tipton •Andrew Brasher •Cory Wilson •Scott Hardy •David Joseph •Matthew Schelp •John Cronan •Justin Walker •Brett H. Ludwig •Christy Wiegand •Thomas Cullen •Diane Gujarati •Stanley Blumenfeld •Mark Scarsi •John Holcomb •Stephen P. McGlynn •Todd Robinson •Hala Jarbou •David Dugan •Iain D. Johnston •Franklin U. Valderrama •John Hinderaker •Roderick Young •Michael Newman •Aileen Cannon •James Knepp •Kathryn Kimball Mizelle • Benjamin Beaton • Kristi Johnson •Toby Crouse •Philip Calabrese •Taylor McNeel •Thomas Kirsch •Stephen Vaden •Katherine Crytzer •Fernando Aenlle-Rocha •Charles Atchley •Joseph Dawson | ||
| 2025 | Whitney Hermandorfer •Joshua Divine •Cristian M. Stevens •Zachary Bluestone •Emil Bove •Edward Artau •Kyle Dudek•Maria Lanahan•Jennifer Mascott•Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe•Chad Meredith•Harold Mooty•Jordan Pratt•Edmund LaCour•Bill Lewis•Eric Tung•Rebecca Taibleson•Joshua D. Dunlap•Bill Mercer•Susan Rodriguez•Robert Chamberlin•Matthew Orso•David Bragdon•Jimmy Maxwell•Lindsey Freeman•William J. Crain | ||
| 2026 | |||
Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court:Eastern District of Tennessee,Middle District of Tennessee,Western District of Tennessee • U.S. Bankruptcy Court:Eastern District of Tennessee,Middle District of Tennessee,Western District of Tennessee
State courts:
Tennessee Supreme Court•Tennessee Court of Appeals•Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals•Tennessee Circuit Court•Tennessee Chancery Courts•Tennessee Criminal Court•Tennessee Probate Court•Tennessee General Sessions Court•Tennessee Juvenile Court•Tennessee Municipal Court
State resources:
Courts in Tennessee •Tennessee judicial elections •Judicial selection in Tennessee
- Pages using DynamicPageList3 parser function
- Appointed by Donald Trump
- Confirmed 2019
- Federal Article III judges
- Federal judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
- Federal judiciary nominee, October 2018
- Former federal magistrate judge
- Former magistrate judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
- Tennessee
- Former magistrate judge, Eastern District of Tennessee
- Appointed judges, April 2015
- Federal judge, Eastern District of Tennessee
