Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed Cory M. Picton to begin hearing cases in February 2018. Judge Picton earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1995 from Dominican University and a Juris Doctor in 2000 from Saint Louis University School of Law. From 2008 to 2018, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, in Tucson, Ariz. From 2001 to 2018, he worked for the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as a civil law attorney, 2001 to 2003, at Camp Pendleton, Calif.; defense counsel, 2003 to 2004, also at Camp Pendleton; special assistant U.S. attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Virginia, 2005 to 2006, in Norfolk, Va.; government prosecutor, 2004 to 2008, also in Norfolk; and as a regional judge advocate, 2008 to 2018. Judge Picton is a member of the Missouri State Bar.