[1][2] Stanton received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1994 from the University of Memphis.

He received a Juris Doctor in 1997 from the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the University of Memphis.

From 2001 to 2002, he was an associate in the Memphis office of the law firm Armstrong Allen PLLC.

[3] On April 14, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Stanton to be United States attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, in lieu of David F. Kustoff, who had resigned.

[4][5] His nomination was reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 24, 2010 and he was confirmed by voice vote on August 5, 2010.