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Thomas Parker (Tennessee)

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Thomas Lee Robinson Parker

Nonpartisan

United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee

Tenure

2018 - Present

Years in position

Education

Bachelor's

University of South Carolina, 1985

Law

Vanderbilt University School of Law, 1989

Contact

Official website

Thomas Lee Robinson Parker is a judge on theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. He was nominated to the court by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on July 13, 2017, and confirmed by theU.S. Senate on January 10, 2018, by a vote of 98-0.^[1] To see a full list of judges appointed byDonald Trump,click here.

TheUnited States District Court for the Western 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.

Parker previously was a shareholder in theMemphis, Tennessee-based office of Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, and Berkowitz.^[2]^[3]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee (2018-present)

See also:Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

Parker was nominated to theUnited States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee by PresidentDonald Trump (R) on July 13, 2017. TheU.S. Senate confirmed Parker on January 10, 2018, by a vote of 98-0.^[1] He received commission on January 30, 2018.^[1] To read more about the federal nomination process,click here.

Nomination Tracker

Nominee Information
Name: Thomas Lee Robinson Parker
Court:United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
Progress
Confirmed 181 days after nomination.
ANominated: July 13, 2017
AABA Rating:Unanimously Well Qualified
Questionnaire:Questionnaire
AHearing: September 6, 2017

QFRs:(Hover over QFRs to read more)

AReported: October 5, 2017
AConfirmed: January 10, 2018
AVote: 98 - 0

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Parker on January 10, 2018, on a vote of 98-0.^[1]To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website,click here.

Thomas Parker confirmation vote (January 10, 2018)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	46	0	1
Republican	50	0	1
Independent	2	0	0
Total	98	0	2

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

Parker had his hearing before theSenate Judiciary Committee on September 6, 2017. The committee voted to advance Parker's nomination to the full Senate on October 5, 2017.^[1]

Nomination

Parker was nominated to replace JudgeSamuel Mays, who assumedsenior status in 2015.

TheAmerican Bar Association unanimously rated Parkerwell qualified for the position.^[4] To read more about ABA ratings,click here.

Education

Parker earned his bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina in 1985 and hisJ.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1989.^[2]^[5]

Professional career

2018-present: Judge,United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
2004-2018: Private practice, Memphis, Tennessee
1995-2004:Assistant United States attorney, Western District of Tennessee
1989-1995: Private practice, Memphis, Tennessee^[6]

About the court

Western District of Tennessee
Sixth Circuit

Judgeships
Posts: 5
Judges: 4
Vacancies: 1
Judges
Chief:Sheryl H. Lipman
Active judges:Stanley Anderson,Sheryl H. Lipman,Mark Norris,Thomas Lee Robinson Parker Senior judges: J. Daniel Breen,John T. Fowlkes,Samuel Mays,Jon McCalla,James Dale Todd

TheUnited States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee is one of 94United States district courts. The Western Division's main office is inMemphis, Tennessee.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 Counties of the Western District of Tennessee (click for larger map)

The Western District of Tennessee hasoriginal jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

There are two court divisions, each covering the following counties:

TheEastern Division, coveringBenton,Carroll,Chester,Crockett,Decatur,Dyer,Gibson,Hardeman,Hardin,Haywood,Henderson,Henry,Lake,Madison,McNairy,Obion,Perry andWeakley counties.

TheWestern Division, coveringFayette,Lauderdale,Shelby andTipton counties.

Court locations for the Western District are located inMemphis,Jackson, andDyersburg, Tennessee.

To read opinions published by this court,click here.

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.