[2] Sharp then received a Bachelor of Science, summa cum laude, from Christian Brothers College (now known as Christian Brothers University) in 1990 and a Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1993.

[3][4] During the 111th Congress, Democrats from the Tennessee House delegation provided recommendations to the Obama White House for filling a vacancy on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

[5] However, Sharp was the preferred choice of Republican Tennessee Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker.

[5] On November 17, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Sharp to a judgeship on the Middle District of Tennessee.

[9][10] Sharp's former father-in-law, Lew Conner, is a former state court judge and a prominent Republican fundraiser who has donated over forty thousand dollars to the campaigns and political action committees of Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker.