United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee is the federal court in the Sixth Circuit whose jurisdiction covers all of East Tennessee and a portion of Middle Tennessee. The court comprises 4 divisions. Based in Knoxville, Tennessee, it maintains branch facilities in Chattanooga, Tennessee; Greeneville, Tennessee; and Winchester, Tennessee.

* The Southern Division, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, serves Bledsoe, Bradley, Hamilton, McMinn, Marion, Meigs, Polk, Rhea and Sequatchie counties.
* The Northeastern Division, based in Greeneville, Tennessee, serves Carter, Cocke, Greene, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington
* The Northern Division, based in Knoxville, Tennessee, serves Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Grainger, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Monroe, Morgan, Roane, Scott, Sevier and Union counties.
* The Winchester Division serves Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Grundy, Lincoln, Moore, Warren and Van Buren counties.

The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee represents the United States in civil and criminal litigation in the court.

The court was established by the Judiciary Act of 1801 ("Midnight Judges" Act) wherein Congress created a new Sixth Circuit with two districts in the Tennessee. Since 1797, the state had been organized by Congress into one judicial district with one judge, John McNairy.

Tennessee -- along with Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan -- is located within the area covered by United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

Current judges

* Curtis L. Collier, Chief District Judge
* R. Allan Edgar, Senior District Judge
* Leon Jordan, Senior District Judge
* J. Ronnie Greer, District Judge
* Harry S. Mattice, Jr., District Judge
* Thomas W. Phillips, District Judge
* Thomas A. Varlan, District Judge
* William B. Mitchell Carter, Magistrate Judge
* H. Bruce Guyton, Magistrate Judge
* Dennis H. Inman, Magistrate Judge
* Susan K. Lee, Magistrate Judge
* C. Clifford Shirley, Magistrate Judge

History

The following is taken from the article "History of the Sixth Circuit' by the Honorable Harry Phillips.

See http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/lib_hist/Courts/circuit/earlyCir.html

In the famous "Midnight Judges" Act of 1801, Congress expanded the number of circuits to six, provided for independent circuit court judgeships, and abolished the necessity of Supreme Court Justices riding the circuits. It was this legislation which created the grandfather of the present Sixth Circuit. The act provided for a "Sixth Circuit" comprising two districts in the State of Tennessee, one district in the State of Kentucky and one district, called the Ohio District, composed of the Ohio and Indiana territories (the latter including the present State of Michigan).5 The new Sixth Circuit Court was to be held at "Bairdstown" in the District of Kentucky, at Knoxville in the District of East Tennessee, at Nashville in the District of West Tennessee, and at Cincinnati in the District of Ohio. Unlike the other circuits which were provided with three circuit judges, the Sixth Circuit was to have only one circuit judge with district judges from Kentucky and Tennessee comprising the rest of the court. Any two judges constituted a quorum. New circuit judgeships were to be created as district judgeships in Kentucky and Tennessee became vacant.

External links

* [http://www.tned.uscourts.gov/index.php United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee Official Website]