Clifton L. Corker

Clifton L. Corker
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 22, 2019
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byJ. Ronnie Greer
Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
In office
May 1, 2015 – July 22, 2019
Personal details
Born1967 (age 56–57)
Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
EducationJames Madison University (BBA)
College of William & Mary (JD)

Clifton Leland Corker (born 1967) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

Education

Corker received a Bachelor of Business Administration from James Madison University and a Juris Doctor from William & Mary Law School.[1]

Career

After graduating from law school, Corker clerked for then-Magistrate Judge Cynthia D. Kinser of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia. From 1994 to 1995, he was a volunteer with the Federal Public Defender's office in Greeneville. He then spent a year at Terry, Terry & Stapleton. From 1996 to 2015, Corker had a solo practice in Johnson City, before becoming a magistrate judge. There, he handled matters including complex civil litigation and capital murder cases.[1]

Federal judicial service

On April 30, 2015, Corker was appointed a United States magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. His service as a magistrate judge terminated upon appointment to the district court.[1]

On October 10, 2018, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Corker to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. On November 13, 2018, his nomination was sent to the Senate. President Trump nominated Corker to the seat vacated by Judge J. Ronnie Greer, who took senior status on June 30, 2018.[2] On November 28, 2018, a hearing on his nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[3]

On January 3, 2019, his nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate. On January 23, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to renominate Corker for a federal judgeship.[4] His nomination was sent to the Senate later that day.[5] On February 7, 2019, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote.[6] On July 17, 2019, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 55–41 vote.[7] On July 18, 2019, his nomination was confirmed by a 55–39 vote.[8] He received his judicial commission on July 22, 2019.[9]

Notable rulings

On June 19, 2023, Corker ruled (in the case of Ultima Services Corp. v. US Department of Agriculture) that the Small Business Administration's 8(a) program, which is meant to award contracts to socially and economically disadvantaged people's businesses, violated the US Constitution's guarantee of equal protection by its presumption that any members of certain racial groups are thereby disadvantaged.[10][11]

On February 23, 2024, Corker issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) from enforcing rules to the extent those rules "prohibit student-athletes from negotiating compensation for [name, image, or likeness ('NIL')] with any third-party entity," including boosters and booster-led collectives.[12][13]

Personal life

Corker is unrelated to former U.S. Senator from Tennessee Bob Corker.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b c "President Donald J. Trump Announces Eighteenth Wave of Judicial Nominees, Eighteenth Wave of United States Attorney Nominees, and Thirteenth Wave of United States Marshal Nominees". whitehouse.gov. October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 10, 2018 – via National Archives. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ "Twenty Six Nominations Sent to the Senate", White House, November 13, 2018
  3. ^ United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for November 28, 2018
  4. ^ "President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate Judicial Nominees", White House, January 23, 2019
  5. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate", White House, January 23, 2019
  6. ^ Results of Executive Business Meeting – February 7, 2019, Senate Judiciary Committee
  7. ^ On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Clifton L. Corker to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee), United States Senate, July 17, 2019
  8. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Clifton L. Corker, of Tennessee, to be United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee)". United States Senate. July 18, 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  9. ^ Clifton L. Corker at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  10. ^ Ultima Services Corp. v. US Department of Agriculture, et al. (E.D. Tenn. July 19, 2023), Text.
  11. ^ Volokh, Eugene (July 19, 2023). "District Court Strikes Down Race Preference in USDA's and SBA's Contracting Schemes". Reason. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023.
  12. ^ Tennessee v. NCAA (E.D. Tenn. 2024), Text.
  13. ^ "Another Brick in the Wall: NCAA Enjoined from Enforcing NIL Rules Prohibiting Student-Athletes from Negotiating with Third Parties".
  14. ^ Corker, Bob (October 11, 2018). "Corker Statement on Nomination of Clifton Corker to be U.S. District Court Judge for Eastern District of Tennessee". United States Senate. corker.senate.gov. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
2019–present 		Incumbent