Thomas L. Parker ’89 was confirmed to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee by a Senate vote of 98-0.
Judge Parker was nominated by President Donald Trump in July 2017 to fill one of two vacancies created by the departures of Judge Hardy Mays, who took senior status in 2015, and Judge Daniel Breen, who took senior status last year. Both Mays and Breen had been appointed to the bench by then-President George W. Bush.
“Thomas Parker is a distinguished litigator with a record of service in his community, and I know he will faithfully uphold the law and serve West Tennessee well,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn.
Among his peers, Parker has a reputation “as one of Memphis’ finest attorneys,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn.
Judge Parker is currently a shareholder in the Memphis office of Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz, where he represents clients in civil litigation and criminal matters.
Before joining Baker Donelson, he served for nine years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Tennessee’s Western District.
Parker is a former president of the Memphis Bar Association. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Carolina before earning his J.D. at Vanderbilt.
