LeAnna R. Wilson began her tenure Tuesday as clerk of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Ms. Wilson succeeds John L. Medearis, who recently retired after serving the judiciary for over 33 years. She has served the district as Mr. Medearis’s chief deputy clerk for the last three years.
Chief U.S. District Judge Travis R. McDonough administered the oath in the Chattanooga courthouse.
Ms. Wilson graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Tennessee. In addition, she graduated cum laude with a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the University of Tennessee College of Law. Throughout her distinguished law school career, Ms. Wilson served as a teaching assistant, student attorney, and a law clerk. She earned the International Academy of Trial Lawyers’ Award and the UT Legal Clinic Distinguished Service Award. She also was an editor for the Tennessee Law Review and was recognized on the Dean’s Citation for Extraordinary Contributions to the UT College of Law.
Ms. Wilson has dedicated her entire career to public service and the judiciary. After graduating from the University of Tennessee College of Law, she served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable James Curwood Witt, Jr., followed by service in the chambers of Senior U.S. District Judge J. Ronnie Greer from 2007 until her appointment as Chief Deputy Clerk in 2018.
She is a member of the Hamilton Burnett American Inn of Court, the Federal Bar Association, and the Knoxville Bar Association.
Ms. Wilson said, “I am grateful to the judges for entrusting me with this important position. I am honored to continue serving the court, the staff, and the public. And I thank my loving, supportive family, who made this possible.”