Donald Q. Cochran is an American attorney and academic who served as the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the

Middle District of Tennessee The United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (in case citations, M.D. Tenn.) is the federal trial court for most of Middle Tennessee. Based at the Estes Kefauver Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Nashville ...

from 2017 to 2021. Before assuming his current role, Cochran was a law professor at

Belmont University College of Law Belmont University College of Law is a private law school in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 2011, the College of Law was accredited by the American Bar Association in 2013, the earliest possible time allowed by accreditation guidelines. Although ...

. He was previously a professor at Cumberland School of Law and an

Assistant United States Attorney An assistant United States attorney (AUSA) is an official career civil service position in the U.S. Department of Justice composed of lawyers working under the U.S. Attorney of each U.S. federal judicial district. They represent the federal gove ...

in the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama The United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama (in case citations, N.D. Ala.) is a federal court in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims again ...

. On February 8, 2021, he along with 55 other Trump-era attorneys were asked to resign. He submitted his resignation on February 22, effective February 28.

Education and military service

Cochran received both his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

in 1980 and his

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from

Vanderbilt University Law School Vanderbilt University Law School (also known as Vanderbilt Law School or VLS) is a graduate school of Vanderbilt University. Established in 1874, it is one of the oldest law schools in the southern United States. Vanderbilt Law School has consiste ...

in 1992. Prior to attending law school, he served for nine years as an Army Ranger and

Special Forces Special forces and special operations forces (SOF) are military units trained to conduct special operations. NATO has defined special operations as "military activities conducted by specially designated, organized, selected, trained and equip ...

officer.

Legal career

Cochran clerked for Judge

Julie E. Carnes Julie Elizabeth Carnes (born October 31, 1950) is a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Early life and education Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Carnes is the daughter of Georgia state ...

of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (in case citations, N.D. Ga.) is a United States district court which serves the residents of forty-six counties. These are divided up into four divisions. Appeals from cases ...

. He worked as a prosecutor in the

Jefferson County, Alabama Jefferson County is the List of counties in Alabama, most populous county in the U.S. state of Alabama, located in the central portion of the state. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 674,721. Its county seat i ...

District Attorney's Office, where he prosecuted violent crimes including homicides and sexual assaults. From 1998 to 2002, Cochran worked as an Assistant United States Attorney in the

. He prosecuted white collar crimes, public corruption, and violent crimes, including the case of

Bobby Frank Cherry Bobby Frank Cherry (June 20, 1930 – November 18, 2004) was an American white supremacist, terrorist, and Klansman who was convicted of murder in 2002 for his role in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963. The bombing killed four young A ...

, the final defendant charged with the

16th Street Baptist Church bombing The 16th Street Baptist Church bombing was a white supremacist terrorist bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday, September 15, 1963. Four members of a local Ku Klux Klan chapter planted 19 sticks of dynam ...

. He received the John C. Marshall Award for the successful prosecution of Cherry for his role in the murder of four girls in the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. After serving as an Assistant United States Attorney, Cochran joined the faculty of Cumberland School of Law. He taught for ten years at Cumberland, where he was the recipient of the Harvey S. Jackson Excellence in Teaching Award and the Lightfoot, Franklin, and White Award for Faculty Scholarship. Cochran then took a position as a law professor at

References

External links

Biography at U.S. Department of Justice
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cochran, Donald Q. Living people Vanderbilt University alumni Vanderbilt University Law School alumni 21st-century American lawyers Assistant United States Attorneys United States Attorneys for the Middle District of Tennessee Year of birth missing (living people)