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William L. Campbell Jr.
2018 - Present
7
William L. (Chip) Campbell Jr. is the chief judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. He was nominated to the court by President Donald Trump (R) on July 13, 2017, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on January 9, 2018, by a vote of 97-0.[1][2][3] To see a full list of judges appointed by Donald Trump, click here. In 2024, Campbell became the chief judge of the court.
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee is one of 94 U.S. District Courts. They are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. To learn more about the court, click here.
At the time of his nomination to the court, Campbell was a member of the business litigation practice group at the Nashville, Tennessee-based office of Frost Brown Todd LLC.[3]
Judicial nominations and appointments
United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
- See also: Federal judges nominated by Donald Trump
Campbell was nominated to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee by President Donald Trump (R) on July 13, 2017. The U.S. Senate confirmed Campbell on January 9, 2018, by a vote of 97-0.[1] He received commission on January 12, 2018.[4] To read more about the federal nomination process, click here.
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| Nominee Information |
| Name: William L. Campbell Jr. |
| Court: United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 180 days after nomination. |
 Nominated: July 13, 2017
|
| ABA Rating: Unanimously Well Qualified
|
| Questionnaire: Questionnaire |
| Hearing: September 6, 2017
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| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
| Reported: October 5, 2017
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| Confirmed: January 9, 2018
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| Vote: 97 - 0
|
Confirmation vote
The U.S. Senate confirmed Campbell on January 9, 2018, on a vote of 97-0.[1] To see a full breakdown of the vote on the official U.S. Senate website, click here.
| William L. Campbell Jr. confirmation vote (January 9, 2018) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Yea | Nay | No vote | ||||||
 Democratic |
47 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
 Republican |
48 | 0 | 3 | ||||||
 Independent |
2 | 0 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 97 | 0 | 3 | ||||||
Senate Judiciary Committee hearing
Campbell had his hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 6, 2017. The committee voted to advance Campbell's nomination to the full Senate on October 5, 2017.[1]
Nomination
Campbell was nominated to replace Judge Kevin Hunter Sharp, who retired from the bench on April 15, 2017.
The American Bar Association unanimously rated Campbell well qualified for the position.[5] To read more about ABA ratings, click here.
Biography
Education
Campbell earned his bachelor's degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1991 and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Alabama School of Law in 2001. During his legal studies, Campbell was inducted into the Order of the Coif. From 2000 to 2001, Campbell served as the editor-in-chief of the Alabama Law Review.[2][3]
Military service
After graduating from the United States Naval Academy, Campbell served for seven years in the U.S. Marine Corps in an electronic attack squadron and as a forward air controller with an infantry battalion.[2][3]
Professional career
- 2018-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
- 2024-present: Chief judge
- 2003-2018: Private practice, Nashville, Tenn.
- 2001-2003: Private practice, Birmingham, Ala.
- 1991-1998: U.S. Marine Corps commissioned officer (highest rank: captain)[4]
About the court
| Middle District of Tennessee |
|---|
| Sixth Circuit |
|
| Judgeships |
| Posts: 4 |
| Judges: 4 |
| Vacancies: 0 |
| Judges |
| Chief: William L. Campbell Jr. |
| Active judges: William Campbell, Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr., Eli Richardson, Aleta Trauger Senior judges: |
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee is one of 94 United States district courts. Based in Nashville, Tennessee, it was created in 1839 when Congress added a third district to the state. When decisions of the court are appealed, they are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit based in downtown Cincinnati at the Potter A. Stewart Federal Courthouse and Building.
The Middle District of Tennessee has original jurisdiction over cases filed within its jurisdiction. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.
Court locations for the Middle District are located in Nashville, Cookeville, and Columbia, Tennessee.
There are three court divisions, each covering the following counties:
The Columbia Division, covering Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Marshall, Maury, and Wayne counties.
The Nashville Division, covering Cannon, Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Houston, Humphreys, Montgomery, Robertson, Rutherford, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson, and Wilson counties.
The Northeastern Division, covering Clay, Cumberland, DeKalb, Fentress, Jackson, Macon, Overton, Pickett, Putnam, Smith, and White counties.
To read opinions published by this court, click here.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
See also
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
- United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
- Biography from the Federal Judicial Center
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 United States Congress, "PN 748 — William L. Campbell Jr. — The Judiciary," accessed April 22, 2020
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 The White House, "President Donald J. Trump announces fifth wave of judicial candidates," July 13, 2017
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Frost Brown Todd LLC, "William L. Campbell Jr.," accessed July 14, 2017
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Federal Judicial Center, "Campbell, William Lynn, Jr.," accessed April 22, 2020
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III and Article IV judicial nominees," accessed April 22, 2020
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee 2018-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: William L. Campbell Jr. • Aleta Trauger • Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. • Eli Richardson | ||
| Senior judges |
| ||
| Magistrate judges | Barbara Holmes • Alistair Newbern • Chip Frensley • | ||
| Former Article III judges |
Todd Campbell • Thomas Wiseman • John Nixon • Robert Echols • Morgan Welles Brown • West Hughes Humphreys • Connally Findlay Trigg • William E. Miller • David McKendree Key • Charles Dickens Clark • Edward Terry Sanford • John Gore • Xenophon Hicks • Leslie Darr • Elmer Davies • Leland Clure Morton • Thomas Higgins (Tennessee) • Frank Gray • Kevin Hunter Sharp • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
Thomas Wiseman • John Nixon • Robert Echols • William E. Miller • Elmer Davies • Leland Clure Morton • Frank Gray • Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. • | ||
Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Tennessee, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee
State courts:
Tennessee Supreme Court • Tennessee Court of Appeals • Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals • Tennessee Circuit Court • Tennessee Chancery Courts • Tennessee Criminal Court • Tennessee Probate Court • Tennessee General Sessions Court • Tennessee Juvenile Court • Tennessee Municipal Court
State resources:
Courts in Tennessee • Tennessee judicial elections • Judicial selection in Tennessee
