NASHVILLE (AP) - Gov. Bill Haslam has named Robert "Rob" H. Montgomery Jr. to fill an upcoming vacancy in the eastern section of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals.

Montgomery is a former assistant district attorney general who has been a criminal judge in Sullivan Count since 2006. He will replace Joseph M. Tipton, who is retiring at the end of his current term.

Montgomery, of Kingsport, earned his law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1979.

Haslam last week named W. Neal McBrayer to the middle section of the Tennessee Court of Appeals. He is replacing Patricia J. Cottrell, who isn't seeking another term.

McBrayer is an attorney in private practice in Nashville. He specializes in commercial litigation and bankruptcy law.