Brian Lea

Western District of Tennessee
	Sixth Circuit
Judgeships
	Posts: 5
	Judges: 5
	Vacancies: 0
Judges
	Chief: Sheryl H. Lipman
	Active judges: Stanley Anderson, Brian Lea, Sheryl H. Lipman, Mark Norris, Thomas Lee Robinson Parker; Senior judges:; J. Daniel Breen, John T. Fowlkes, Samuel Mays, Jon McCalla, James Dale Todd

Nomination Tracker
Nominee Information
	Name: Brian Lea
	Court: United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
Progress
	Confirmed 66 days after nomination.
	Nominated: December 1, 2025
	ABA Rating: Well Qualified
	Questionnaire: [N/A Questionnaire]
	Hearing: December 17, 2025
	Hearing Transcript: Hearing Transcript
	QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more)
	Reported: January 15, 2026
	Confirmed: February 5, 2026
	Vote: 50-46

Brian Lea is a judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on December 1, 2025, and confirmed by the United States Senate on February 5, 2026, by a vote of 50-46.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here.

The United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.

Prior to joining the court, Lea was a nominee to the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.^[1]

Judicial nominations and appointments

United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee (2026-present)

See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump

On December 1, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Lea to the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.^[1] He was confirmed by a 50-46 vote of the U.S. Senate on February 5, 2026.^[3] To read more about the federal nominations process, click here.

Confirmation vote

The U.S. Senate confirmed Lea by a vote of 50-46 on February 5, 2026.^[3] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.

Lea confirmation vote (February 5, 2026)
Party	Yea	Nay	No vote
Democratic	0	44	1
Republican	50	0	3
Independent	0	2	0
Total	50^[5]	46	4

Senate Judiciary Committee hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee held hearings on Lea's nomination on December 17, 2025. Lea was reported to the full Senate on January 15, 2026, after a 12-10 committee vote.^[6] Click here for a list of other nominees awaiting a committee vote.

Nomination

On December 1, 2025, President Donald Trump (R) nominated Brian Lea to the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Lea's nomination was returned to the president at the sine die adjournment of the U.S. Senate on January 3, 2026.^[7] The president renominated Lea on January 5, 2026.^[3]

The American Bar Association (ABA) rated Lea well qualified.^[8] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.

Lea was nominated to replace Judge John T. Fowlkes, who assumed senior status on September 1, 2022.^[9]

Biography

Early life and education

Lea was born in 1983 in Montreal, Canada. He earned a bachelor's degree from Union University in 2006 and a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2009.^[4]

Professional career

2026-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
2025-2026: Deputy associate attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice
2010-2011, 2012-2014, 2017-2025: Private practice, Atlanta, Georgia
2015-2017: Visiting assistant professor, University of Georgia School of Law
2011-2012: Law clerk, Hon. Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court of the United States
2009-2010: Law clerk, Hon. Edward Carnes, United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit^[4]

About the court

The United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee is one of 94 United States district courts. The Western Division's main office is in Memphis, Tennessee. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit based in downtown Cincinnati at the Potter A. Stewart Federal Courthouse and Building. The Western District of Tennessee has original 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:

The Eastern Division, covering Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Perry and Weakley counties.

The Western Division, covering Fayette, Lauderdale, Shelby and Tipton counties.

Court locations for the Western District are located in Memphis, Jackson, and Dyersburg, 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 the Senate 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 a blue 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.