Robert E. Cooper, Jr., legal counsel to Gov. Phil Bredesen, was appointed Tuesday by the Tennessee Supreme Court to serve an eight-year term as state attorney general and reporter. Chief Justice William M. Barker will administer the oath of office to Cooper at 3:15 p.m. Wednesday in the Old Supreme Court Chambers at the State Capitol.
Cooper, 49, of Nashville, succeeds former Attorney General Paul Summers, who did not seek reappointment to the position.
“We are confident that Bob Cooper will be an outstanding attorney general,” Barker said. “He has the legal and administrative experience and abilities needed to serve with excellence as the state’s chief legal officer.”
Cooper described the 13 other applicants as “an excellent field of candidates” and said he was honored to have been chosen by the Supreme Court.
“The Office of Attorney General is in strong shape and I am excited about the prospect of leading this group of outstanding lawyers,” Cooper said. “General Summers has been a vigorous advocate for the rights of citizens, consumers and victims of crime and I look forward to continuing that work as well as meeting new challenges that lie ahead for state government.”
Before joining the governor’s office, Cooper was a partner at Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC, where he specialized in corporate, constitutional and regulatory litigation. Prior to spending 19 years in the private practice of law, he served as clerk for U.S. District Judge Louis F. Oberdorfer in Washington, D.C.
An expert in campaign finance and election law, Cooper has served as an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University.
He is a Chattanooga native and graduated as valedictorian from Baylor School in his home town. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, where he graduated Magna cum laude, and a law degree from Yale University. Cooper served as chairman of the Daily Princetonian and was managing editor of the Yale Law Journal.
The Supreme Court conducted an open selection process to find Summers’ replacement and encouraged interested attorneys from across the state to apply. Under the Tennessee Constitution, the attorney general, who earns $150,000, is appointed by the Supreme Court.
Duties of Tennessee’s chief legal officer include representing the state in civil litigation and prosecuting criminal cases in the appellate courts. The attorney general also provides legal advice to the governor, state agencies and the Tennessee General Assembly.