William C. Koch, Jr. was appointed to the Tennessee Supreme Court in June 2007. Prior to joining the Supreme Court, Justice Koch spent 23 years on the Tennessee Court of Appeals. He served as presiding judge of the Middle Section of that court from 2003 to 2007.
Throughout his career, Justice Koch has been committed to public service. Before taking the bench, Justice Koch served as counsel to and legal advisor to Governor Lamar Alexander. He also served the state as commissioner of the Department of Personnel and as deputy attorney general.
Justice Koch received his undergraduate degree from Trinity College. He earned his juris doctorate from Vanderbilt University School of Law and went on to receive his LL.M. in Judicial Process from the University of Virginia School of Law.
For the past 14 years, Justice Koch has taught constitutional law at Nashville School of Law, where he has been named Fourth Year Instructor of the Year three times. He has also served as adjunct instructor at Vanderbilt University School of Law for 13 years. Justice Koch was named Tennessee Appellate Judge of the Year in 2002. He is president of the Harry Phillips American Inn of Court.
