Newly appointed Article III judge Charles Atchley Jr., took his oath of office Dec. 22, 2020. Chief Judge Travis McDonough administered the oath.
Born in 1966 in Knoxville, Atchley is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and earned his juris doctor from the Cumberland School of Law.
He began his career as a staff attorney with Family Inns of America before working as an associate with Scott & Associates.
Atchley served as an assistant district attorney general for Tennessee 1994-2001 before becoming an assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee in 2001 and serving in the criminal division, supervising the General Crimes and National Security Section.
Atchley was the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee 2018-2020.
U.S. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Marsha Blackburn recommended Atchley to President Trump, who nominated him in September. The Senate confirmed him last month.
Atchley succeeds U.S. District Judge Harry Mattice, Jr., in Chattanooga.
Source: U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Tennessee