He served seven years in the United States Marine Corps, principally as a naval flight officer.

[3] He worked as an associate and later a partner in the Nashville firm of Riley Warnock & Jacobson, PLC, and as an associate in the Birmingham, Alabama, office of Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C.

Before becoming a judge, he was a member in the Nashville office of Frost Brown Todd, LLC, where he handled civil litigation.

On September 6, 2017, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on his nomination.

[6][7] On January 8, 2018, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 89–1 vote.