Travis McDonough ’97 was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee Dec. 7.
The Senate voted 89-0 in favor of McDonough, whose nomination was endorsed by Tennessee Senators Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander. He replaces Judge Curtis Collier, who took senior status in 2014.
“I have known Travis McDonough personally for years and am confident he will serve the people of Tennessee honorably in this new role,” Sen. Corker, R-Tenn., said in urging his colleagues to support McDonough’s nomination.
“He’s a well-qualified man,” Sen. Alexander, R-Tenn., said on the Senate floor. “We’re fortunate that he’s willing to serve, and we’re fortunate the president has nominated him.”
McDonough practiced law in Chattanooga at Miller & Martin from 1997 to 2013. He became a partner in the firm in 2005 and was named head of its litigation practice in 2012. In 2013, he joined the administration of then newly elected Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke as chief of staff and counselor.
He earned his undergraduate degree at Sewanee: The University of the South in 1994.
Over the course of his legal career, he has held numerous public service positions. Among many other roles, he chaired the Chattanooga Pension Task Force from 2013-14, served from 2007-11 as a commissioner on the Tennessee Motor Vehicle Commission and from 1999 to 2005 on the Chattanooga Human Rights and Human Relations Commission, and sat on the board of directors of Southeast Tennessee Legal Services from 2005-10.