Sweeney received a Bachelor of Science, with merit, in 1983 from the United States Naval Academy.

From 1983 to 1992 Sweeney was an active duty Naval Flight Officer in the United States Marine Corps.

He received a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, in 1996 from Notre Dame Law School.

Sweeney then clerked for Judge John Daniel Tinder of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana and Judge James L. Ryan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.

[3] President Trump nominated Sweeney to the seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana vacated by Judge Sarah Evans Barker, who assumed senior status on June 30, 2014.