Federal Judge Thomas W. Phillips Elected to Berea College Board of Trustees

Judge Phillips has served as U.S. District Judge since 2002, following his nomination by President George W. Bush and his confirmation by the United States Senate in November of that year.  The Eastern District of Tennessee consists of 42 counties with courthouses in Knoxville, Greeneville, Chattanooga and Winchester.  A native of Scott County, Tenn., Phillips served as the elected County Attorney for Scott County from 1976-1991.  In 1991, he was appointed United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee, holding that office until becoming U.S. District Judge.  Prior to holding public office, Phillips was in private practice in Scott County, first with the firm of Baker, Worthington, Crossley and Stansberry, and later with the firms of Phillips and Phillips and Phillips and Williams.

A 1965 graduate of Berea College, Phillips received his law degree from Vanderbilt University.
Following law school, he was commissioned a Captain in the United States Army, where he served with the Judge Advocate General’s Corps.  Among Phillips’ assignments was representing the Department of the Army before the Army Court of Military Review and United States Court of Military Appeals in Washington, D.C.  Phillips also received an L.L.M. degree from the National Law Center of George Washington University.

Judge Phillips and his wife, the former Dorothy Mills, continue to reside in Scott County and also in Knoxville.