KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - U.S. District Court Judge Thomas A. Varlan will be the new chief judge for federal courts in the Eastern District of Tennessee.

WBIR-TV reports (http://on.wbir.com/RH0x68 ) Varlan, who presides in Knoxville, will take over on Monday as the administrative judge for the district that includes 41 counties and serves 2.5 million people.

Varlan succeeds Judge Curtis Collier of Chattanooga. The position of chief judge is rotated through the active judges in the district every seven years.

Varlan has been a member of the Judicial Conference since 2010 and has been on the federal bench since 2003.

Information from: WBIR-TV, http://www.wbir.com/

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