Brian Charles Lea at a glance
- Current role
- Judge
- Court
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
- Jurisdiction
- Tennessee · Federal
- Judicial service
- March 2, 2026–present
Brian Charles Lea
Judge · U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
Available research
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Biography
Professional career
- Professional Career: Law clerk, Hon. Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court of the United States, 2011-2012
- Professional Career: Private practice, Atlanta, Georgia, 2010-2011, 2012-2014, 2017-2025
- Professional Career: Law clerk, Hon. Edward Carnes, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, 2009-2010
- Professional Career: Visiting assistant professor, University of Georgia School of Law, 2015-2017
- Professional Career: Deputy associate attorney general, U.S. Department of Justice, 2025-2026
Education
- Union University · B.A., 2006
- University of Georgia School of Law · J.D., 2009
Courtroom rules and guidance
Civil Remote Testimony
In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards.
For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location.Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court ↗
Criminal Recording And Broadcasting
Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception.
Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom.Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited ↗
Sources
Federal Judicial Center biography
Identity source · HTML · checked July 25, 2026
https://www.fjc.gov/node/13762108Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedureFederal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited
Judge research source · HTML · checked July 26, 2026
https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts