President Trump has nominated two men for major federal law enforcement and judicial posts based in Knoxville, tapping Knox County's second-ranking prosecutor to become the region's top federal attorney and a White House lawyer to fill a lifetime seat on the federal bench. Samuel Lee is Trump's pick for U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee, while Samuel Adkisson has been nominated for U.S. District Judge for the same district. Both nominations now head to the U.S. Senate for confirmation votes.
As reported by WATE 6 On Your Side, Lee currently serves as Chief Deputy District Attorney General for Knox County, working as second-in-command to District Attorney General Charme Allen and overseeing the office's daily operations. If confirmed, he would serve a four-year term as U.S. Attorney. Sen. Bill Hagerty posted that Lee is an experienced prosecutor who has shown the commitment and know-how needed to stamp out violent crime, according to the station's report.
A Local Prosecutor's Rise Through the Ranks
Lee's résumé stretches beyond the courtroom.
If confirmed, Lee would become U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Filling a Storied Knoxville Judgeship
Adkisson's path to the bench has moved fast. He graduated from Yale Law School in 2018 and completed federal clerkships for D.C. Circuit Judge Gregory Katsas, Sixth Circuit Judge Amul Thapar, and U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts Jr., according to the Alliance for Justice. He currently serves as a special assistant in the White House Counsel's Office, where he litigated major constitutional cases including Trump v. Slaughter, a case addressing presidential removal authority over executive agency heads, per the Federalist Society. He also assisted the Senate Judiciary Committee during Justice Brett Kavanaugh's 2018 confirmation hearings.
If confirmed, Adkisson's judgeship would be a lifetime appointment, and he would hold the seat for the rest of his life or until he retires. The vacancy he's nominated to fill was created by U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan, who announced in December 2025 that he would step back to senior status effective October 5, according to WBIR. Varlan was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2003. He served on the Knoxville bench before moving to senior status.
A District Spanning 41 Counties
The Eastern District of Tennessee is the federal district where the Knoxville judgeship is based and is under the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, according to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
Adkisson's nomination was received by the Senate on September 14 and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, per Ballotpedia.
The office Lee hopes to lead has featured prominently in Hoodline's own coverage of federal enforcement in the region, including a report on a pharmacy Medicare scam bust. The nominations remain under Senate consideration.
