The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee welcomes Jill E. McCook as its newest United States magistrate judge. Magistrate Judge McCook took her oath of office Monday in a private ceremony in Knoxville’s Howard H. Baker, Jr. Courthouse.
She succeeds Magistrate Judge H. Bruce Guyton, who retired after serving the Court since 2003. A public investiture will take place in the coming months.
Magistrate Judge McCook has worked as an attorney for the Tennessee Valley Authority for the past four years. Previously, she was in private practice, served as a law clerk to District Judge Thomas A. Varlan, and was an adjunct professor in legal process at the University of Tennessee College of Law.
She earned her Doctor of Jurisprudence from the Washington & Lee University School of Law and is a member of the bars of both Tennessee and New York. District judges appoint magistrate judges for terms of eight years. They have authority to issue warrants, to conduct preliminary criminal proceedings, such as initial appearances and arraignments, and to hear cases involving petty offenses committed on federal lands. In many districts, magistrate judges handle pretrial motions in both civil and criminal cases. While district judges try most civil cases, magistrate judges may also preside over civil trials if all parties consent.
Magistrate Judge McCook joins Chief Magistrate Judge Susan K. Lee and Magistrate Judge Christopher H. Steger in Chattanooga, Magistrate Judge Debra C. Poplin in Knoxville, and Magistrate Judge Cynthia R. Wyrick in Greeneville.