History / Courts

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee

27 judges have served since Apr 29, 1802. Now: Brian Charles Lea RMark Saalfield Norris, Sr. RThomas Lee Robinson Parker RSheryl Halle Lipman DStanley Thomas Anderson R.

Judges
27
16 R · 10 D · 1 N(
Longest tenure
31 years
John McNairy
Current
7 months
Brian Charles Lea, since Mar 2, 2026
history/court/district-court-for-the-western-district-of-tennesseeEvery holder, newest first
+27
18201840186018801900192019401960198020002020John McNairy · 1802-04-29 – 1833-09-01 · None (reassignment)Morgan Welles Brown · 1834-01-03 – 1853-03-07 · DemocratWest Hughes Humphreys · 1853-03-26 – 1862-06-26 · DemocratConnally Findlay Trigg · 1862-07-17 – 1878-06-14 · RepublicanEli Shelby Hammond · 1878-06-17 – 1904-12-17 · RepublicanJohn Ethridge McCall · 1905-01-17 – 1920-08-08 · RepublicanJohn William Ross · 1921-05-31 – 1925-07-09 · RepublicanHarry Bennett Anderson · 1926-01-29 – 1935-04-09 · RepublicanJohn Donelson Martin, Sr. · 1935-05-03 – 1940-09-16 · DemocratMarion Speed Boyd · 1940-09-27 – 1966-08-01 · DemocratRobert Malcolm McRae, Jr. · 1966-11-03 – 1986-12-31 · DemocratJerome Turner · 1987-12-09 – 2000-02-12 · RepublicanSamuel H. Mays, Jr. · 2002-05-10 – 2015-07-01 · RepublicanThomas Lee Robinson Parker · 2018-01-30 – present · RepublicanBailey Brown · 1961-08-21 – 1979-09-27 · DemocratOdell Horton · 1980-05-12 – 1995-05-16 · DemocratBernice Bouie Donald · 1995-12-26 – 2011-09-08 · DemocratJohn Thomas Fowlkes, Jr. · 2012-08-01 – 2022-09-01 · DemocratBrian Charles Lea · 2026-03-02 – present · RepublicanHarry Walker Wellford · 1970-12-12 – 1982-09-10 · RepublicanJulia Smith Gibbons · 1983-06-07 – 2002-08-02 · RepublicanJ. Daniel Breen · 2003-03-14 – 2017-03-18 · RepublicanMark Saalfield Norris, Sr. · 2018-11-08 – present · RepublicanJames Dale Todd · 1985-07-11 – 2008-05-20 · RepublicanStanley Thomas Anderson · 2008-05-21 – present · RepublicanJon Phipps McCalla · 1992-02-10 – 2013-08-23 · RepublicanSheryl Halle Lipman · 2014-05-01 – present · Democrat
Brian Charles Lea R
Mar 2, 2026 – present · 7 months · appointed by Donald J. Trump · confirmed 50–46
Mark Saalfield Norris, Sr. R
Nov 8, 2018 – present · 7.9 years · appointed by Donald J. Trump · confirmed 51–44
Thomas Lee Robinson Parker R
Jan 30, 2018 – present · 8.7 years · appointed by Donald J. Trump · confirmed 98–0
Sheryl Halle Lipman D
May 1, 2014 – present · 12 years · appointed by Barack Obama · confirmed 95–0
John Thomas Fowlkes, Jr. D
Aug 1, 2012 – Sep 1, 2022 · 10 years · appointed by Barack Obama · senior status Sep 1, 2022 · confirmed 94–2
Stanley Thomas Anderson R
May 21, 2008 – present · 18 years · appointed by George W. Bush
J. Daniel Breen R
Mar 14, 2003 – Mar 18, 2017 · 14 years · appointed by George W. Bush · senior status Mar 18, 2017 · confirmed 92–0
Samuel H. Mays, Jr. R
May 10, 2002 – Jul 1, 2015 · 13 years · appointed by George W. Bush · senior status Jul 1, 2015 · confirmed 97–0
Bernice Bouie Donald D
Dec 26, 1995 – Sep 8, 2011 · 16 years · appointed by William J. Clinton
Jon Phipps McCalla R
Feb 10, 1992 – Aug 23, 2013 · 22 years · appointed by George H.W. Bush · senior status Aug 23, 2013
Jerome Turner R
Dec 9, 1987 – Feb 12, 2000 · 12 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan
James Dale Todd R
Jul 11, 1985 – May 20, 2008 · 23 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan · senior status May 20, 2008
Julia Smith Gibbons R
Jun 7, 1983 – Aug 2, 2002 · 19 years · appointed by Ronald Reagan
Odell Horton D
May 12, 1980 – May 16, 1995 · 15 years · appointed by Jimmy Carter · senior status May 16, 1995
Harry Walker Wellford R
Dec 12, 1970 – Sep 10, 1982 · 12 years · appointed by Richard M. Nixon
Robert Malcolm McRae, Jr. D
Nov 3, 1966 – Dec 31, 1986 · 20 years · appointed by Lyndon B. Johnson · senior status Dec 31, 1986
Bailey Brown D
Aug 21, 1961 – Sep 27, 1979 · 18 years · appointed by John F. Kennedy
Marion Speed Boyd D
Sep 27, 1940 – Aug 1, 1966 · 26 years · appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt · senior status Aug 1, 1966
John Donelson Martin, Sr. D
May 3, 1935 – Sep 16, 1940 · 5.4 years · appointed by Franklin D. Roosevelt
Harry Bennett Anderson R
Jan 29, 1926 – Apr 9, 1935 · 9.2 years · appointed by Calvin Coolidge
John William Ross R
May 31, 1921 – Jul 9, 1925 · 4.1 years · appointed by Warren G. Harding
John Ethridge McCall R
Jan 17, 1905 – Aug 8, 1920 · 16 years · appointed by Theodore Roosevelt
Eli Shelby Hammond R
Jun 17, 1878 – Dec 17, 1904 · 26 years · appointed by Rutherford B. Hayes
Connally Findlay Trigg R
Jul 17, 1862 – Jun 14, 1878 · 16 years · appointed by Abraham Lincoln
West Hughes Humphreys D
Mar 26, 1853 – Jun 26, 1862 · 9.3 years · appointed by Franklin Pierce
Morgan Welles Brown D
Jan 3, 1834 – Mar 7, 1853 · 19 years · appointed by Andrew Jackson
John McNairy N(
Apr 29, 1802 – Sep 1, 1833 · 31 years · appointed by None (reassignment)

Dates are from the Federal Judicial Center (commission to senior status or departure). Consecutive terms of one person are merged.