Thomas Varlan
2003 - Present
22
Thomas Varlan is an Article III federal judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. He joined the court in 2003 after being nominated by President George W. Bush.
Varlan served as chief judge of the court from October 8, 2012, to March 31, 2019.[1][2][3]
Early life and education
A native of Tennessee, Varlan graduated from the University of Tennessee with his bachelor's degree in 1978 and later graduated from Vanderbilt University School of Law with his J.D. degree in 1981.[4]
Professional career
Varlan started out as a private practice attorney in Atlanta from 1981 to 1987 and became Law director for the City of Knoxville from 1988 to 1998 and later entered inrto Private practice, Knoxville from 1998 till 2003 when Varlan was appointed to the Federal Bench.[4]
Judicial career
Eastern District of Tennessee
On the recommendation of Senators Fred Thompson and Bill Frist, Varlan was nominated by President George W. Bush on January 7, 2003, to a seat vacated by Robert Leon Jordan as Jordan went on senior status. Varlan was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 13, 2003, on a Senate Vote and received commission on March 14, 2003. He served as chief judge from 2012 to 2019.[4]
Noteworthy cases
Confederate flag case (2009)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (Defoe v. Spiva et al, 3:06-cv-00450)
- See also: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (Defoe v. Spiva et al, 3:06-cv-00450)
Judge Varlan on August 20, 2009, ruled against a former Tennessee high school student who sued Anderson County School District administrators over the right to wear clothing bearing the confederate flag.
The judge found no evidence that a similar ruling in Blount County, Tennessee over the confederate flag ruled that school administrators were correct to suspend the student over fears of disruption in the classroom.
The case that got thrown out was the second trial in the case, the first case in 2006 involving the same student ended in a hung jury.[5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ United States Judicial Branch, Third Branch News: 2/12/2012
- ↑ Varlan named next chief judge of U.S. District Court, October 5, 2012
- ↑ Varlan succeeds Collier as U.S. chief district judge, October 8, 2012
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Thomas Varlan's Biography from the Federal Judicial Center.
- ↑ "Tri-State Defender" Federal judge says ‘no” to Confederate flag as a free-speech fashion statement, August 20, 2009
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee 2003-Present |
Succeeded by - |
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| 2001 |
Armijo • Bates • Beistline • Blackburn • Bowdre • Bunning • Bury • Caldwell • Camp • Cassell • Cebull • Clement • Clifton • Crane • Eagan • Engelhardt • Friot • Gibbons • Granade • Gregory • Gritzner • Haddon • Hartz • Heaton • Hicks • Howard • Johnson • Jorgenson • Krieger • Land • Leon • Mahan • Martinez • Martone • McConnell • Melloy • Mills • O'Brien • Parker • Payne • Prost • Reeves • Riley • Robinson • Rogers • Royal • Shedd • B. Smith • L. Smith • Walton • Wooten • Zainey | ||
| 2002 |
Africk • Anderson • Autrey • Baylson • Cercone • Chesler • Clark • Collyer • Conner • Conti • Corrigan • Davis • Davis • Dorr • England • Ericksen • Fuller • Gardner • Godbey • Griesbach • Hanen • Hovland • Hudson • Jones • Jordan • Kinkeade • Klausner • Kugler • Leighton • Linares • Moses • Marra • Martinez • Martini • Mays • McVerry • Phillips • Raggi • Reade • Rose • Rufe • Savage • Schwab • Smith • St. Eve • Walter • White • Wolfson | ||
| 2003 |
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| 2004 |
Alvarez • Benton • Boyko • Covington • Diamond • Harwell • Kelley • Schiavelli • Schneider • Starrett • Watson | ||
| 2005 |
Alito • Barrett • Batten • Bianco • Brown • Burgess • Conrad • Cox • Crotty • Delgado-Colon • Dever • DuBose • Griffin • Griffith • Johnston • Kendall • Larson • Ludington • Mattice • McKeague • Neilson • Owen • Pryor • Roberts • Sandoval • Schiltz • Seabright • Smoak • Van Tatenhove • Vitaliano • Watkins • Zouhary | ||
| 2006 |
Besosa • Bumb • Chagares • Cogan • Gelpi • Golden • Gordon • Gorsuch • Guilford • Hillman • Holmes • Ikuta • D. Jordan • K. Jordan • Kavanaugh • Miller • Moore • Shepherd • Sheridan • Smith • Whitney • Wigenton | ||
| 2007 |
Anderson • Aycock • Bailey • Bryant • Davis • DeGiusti • Dow • Elrod • Fairbank • Fischer • Frizzell • Gutierrez • Hall • Hardiman • Haynes • Howard • Jarvey • Jones • Jonker • Kapala • Kays • Laplante • Limbaugh • Lioi • Livingston • Maloney • Mauskopf • Mendez • Miller • Neff • O'Connor • O'Grady • O'Neill • Osteen • Ozerden • Reidinger • Sammartino • Schroeder • Settle • Smith • Snow • Southwick • Suddaby • Sullivan • Thapar • Tinder • Van Bokkelen • Wood • Wright • Wu | ||
| 2008 |
Agee • Anello • Arguello • Brimmer • Gardephe • Goldberg • Jones • Kethledge • Lawrence • Matsumoto • Melgren • Murphy • Scriven • Seibel • Slomsky • Trenga • Waddoups • White | ||
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State of Tennessee Nashville (capital) |
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