[2] He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Vanderbilt University and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School.

[3] After graduating from law school, Vaden served as a law clerk to Judge Julia Smith Gibbons of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and to Judge Samuel H. Mays Jr. of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee.

[3][4] Vaden served on the first Trump Administration's United States Department of Agriculture landing team.

On October 2, 2019, President Trump announced his intent to nominate Vaden to the United States Court of International Trade.

President Trump nominated Vaden to the seat vacated by Judge Delissa A. Ridgway, who assumed senior status on January 31, 2019.