J. Ronnie Greer

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J. Ronnie Greer, born James Ronnie Greer in 1952 in Mountain City, Tennessee, is a senior judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. He earned a bachelor's degree from East Tennessee State University in 1974 and a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1980.

Greer worked as a special assistant to Governor Lamar Alexander (1980–1981), then entered private practice. He was campaign manager for the Robin Beard U.S. Senate campaign (1981–1982) and practiced in Greeneville from 1983 to 2003. He also served as Greene County attorney (1985–1986) and was a Tennessee state senator (1986–1994).

In 2003, President George W. Bush nominated him to the federal bench in the Eastern District of Tennessee, filling the seat vacated by Thomas Gray Hull. He was confirmed by the Senate on June 11, 2003, and received his commission on June 12, 2003. He assumed senior status on June 30, 2018.

Greer is known for a tough sentence against moonshiner Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton; Sutton's wife says the sentence contributed to Sutton’s death by suicide.