KNOXVILLE (AP) — The U.S. Senate has confirmed a second district judge for East Tennessee this week.

The Republican-led Senate voted 54-41 on Thursday to confirm Chuck Atchley as a judge in the Eastern District of Tennessee, where he has been serving as an assistant U.S. attorney.

President Donald Trump announced his nomination of Atchley for the judgeship in September.

Sen. Lamar Alexander has pointed out that Atchley's roots in East Tennessee go back to 1785 when Thomas Atchley settled in what is now Sevier County.

The Senate this week also confirmed Katherine Crytzer as a judge in the same district. Crytzer is currently the principal deputy assistant Attorney General in the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Legal Policy.