Travis Randall McDonough

McDonough was raised in Powell's Crossroads in Marion County, Tennessee, and graduated from Whitwell High School. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1994 from Sewanee: The University of the South, where he was named a Harry S Truman scholar. He received a Juris Doctor in 1997 from Vanderbilt University Law School. He served as an associate at the Chattanooga, Tennessee law firm of Miller & Martin, from 1997 to 2004, and as a partner at that firm from 2005 to 2013, additionally serving as head of the firm's litigation department from 2012 to 2013. During his service at that firm, he litigated a wide variety of civil and criminal matters in Federal and State courts. From 2013 to 2015, he served as chief of staff and counselor to the mayor of Chattanooga.[1][2]

On November 20, 2014, President Obama nominated McDonough to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, to the seat vacated by Judge Curtis Lynn Collier, who took senior status on October 31, 2014.[3] On December 16, 2014 his nomination was returned to the President due to the sine die adjournment of the 113th Congress. On January 7, 2015, President Obama renominated him to the same position.[4] He received a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 10, 2015.[5] On July 9, 2015 his nomination was reported out of committee by voice vote.[6] On December 7, 2015 the United States Senate confirmed his nomination by a vote of 89–0.[7] He received his judicial commission on December 10, 2015.[2] He became Chief Judge on September 10, 2020 following the death of Pamela L. Reeves.

• Travis Randall McDonough at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Travis Randall McDonough at Ballotpedia