By AMY ROSE

Staff Writer

KNOXVILLE - U.S. District Judge J. Ronnie Greer, of Greeneville, was honored here Friday night as the 2008 Trial Judge of the Year by the Tennessee Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA).

The Tennessee Chapter of ABOTA, of which Greeneville attorney John T. Milburn Rogers is president, held its annual black-tie dinner and award presentations at Knoxville's Cherokee Country Club.

(A more detailed article will appear in Monday's issue of  The Greeneville Sun.)

An estimated 90 attorneys, judges, and their guests attended the event.

Among them were the two judges who work with Greer at the James H. Quillen United States Courthouse in Greeneville: Magistrate Judge Dennis H. Inman and Bankruptcy Judge Marcia Phillips Parsons.

Attorney Charles Terry, of Morristown, presented the award to Greer.

"This is a very special night for me," Judge Greer said. "I am honored by this award."

The group also honored retiring Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice William M. Barker, of Chattanooga, as the 2008 Appellate Judge of the Year.

Installed In 2004

Judge Greer was installed in March 2004 as sitting judge for the Northeastern Division of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.

In that capacity, and based in Greeneville, he succeeded U.S. District Judge Thomas G. Hull, who retired later in 2004. Judge Hull died in July of this year.

Judge Greer hears cases from the 10 counties of the Northeastern Division: Greene, Carter, Cocke, Hamblen, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi and Washington.

Served In State Senate

A native of the Doe Valley community in Johnson County, near Mountain City,  Greer served as a Republican state senator from the First Senate District from 1986 to 1994.

He represented Greene, Hamblen, Cocke and Unicoi counties in the state senate and served for eight years as chairman of the Senate Environment, Conservation and Tourism Committee.

He chose not to be a candidate for re-election in 1994. 

Greer had moved to Greeneville to practice law in the early 1980s.

He was special assistant to then-governor Lamar Alexander in 1980-81 and served as county attorney for Greene County in 1985-86.

Greer earned a Bachelor of Science degree from East Tennessee State University and a law degree from the University of Tennessee.

President George W. Bush nominated him for the federal judgeship on April 9, 2003. The U.S. Senate voted 97 to 0 on June 10, 2003, to confirm his nomination for the judgeship.