Criminal Court Judge Robert H. Montgomery, Jr. has been appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals, Eastern Section, by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam.
“I am honored and humbled by the trust that the governor has placed in me,” Montgomery told the governor’s office. “I look forward to serving the citizens of East Tennessee as a member of the Court of Criminal Appeals.”
Judge Montgomery, who currently serves the Second Judicial District in Sullivan County, will replace Judge Joseph M. Tipton. Tipton announced earlier this year that he will not seek re-election at the end of his term in August 2014.
“Rob Montgomery will be an excellent judge,” Haslam said. “His experience on the bench, as well as his experience as an assistant district attorney and an attorney in private practice will serve East Tennesseans well.”
Montgomery, 59, has been a criminal court judge in the Second Judicial District since 2006. Prior to that, he was assistant district attorney general in Sullivan County and an unemployment appeals referee in the Department of Employment Security in Kingsport, Morristown, Johnson City, and Knoxville. Montgomery was in private practice as an attorney in Kingsport from 1979-1986.
Judge Tipton was appointed to the Court of Criminal Appeals in 1990 and has served as Presiding Judge of the Court since 2006. He received both his B.S. and J.D. from the University of Tennessee, where he graduated first in his law school class. In addition to his work as a criminal defense lawyer, he served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the UT College of Law.
Visit the governor’s website for more information on the appointment.