Todd Jerome Campbell (September 5, 1956 – April 11, 2021) was a

United States district judge The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district. Each district covers one U.S. state or a portion of a state. There is at least one feder ...

of the

United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee The United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (in case citations, M.D. Tenn.) is the federal trial court for most of Middle Tennessee. Based at the Estes Kefauver Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Nashville ...

, serving as

Chief Judge Chief judge may refer to: In lower or circuit courts The highest-ranking or most senior member of a lower court or circuit court with more than one judge. * Chief judge (Australia) * Chief judge (United States) In supreme courts Some of Chief ...

of the court from 2005 to 2012.

Early life and education

Born in Rockford,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, Campbell received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

in 1978 and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from the

University of Tennessee College of Law The Winston College of Law is the law school of the University of Tennessee located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1890, the College of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a charter member of the Association of Ame ...

in 1982.

Professional career

A longtime supporter and aide of former Vice President

Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American former politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. He previously served as ...

, Campbell worked in private law practice in

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

from 1982 until 1993. He worked as the deputy campaign manager for legal affairs and the treasurer of Gore's presidential campaign committee from 1987 until 1988, and he also worked as legal counsel to the personnel department during

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

and

's 1992–1993 presidential transition. In 1993, Campbell took a job working for Gore as Deputy Counsel to the Vice President and director of administration. From 1993 until 1995, Campbell served as counsel to the Vice President and director of administration. He then worked briefly in private practice in Nashville in 1995.

Federal judicial service

On June 27, 1995, President

nominated Campbell to be a United States District Judge of the

to replace Judge

Thomas A. Wiseman Jr. Thomas Anderton Wiseman Jr. (November 3, 1930 – March 18, 2020) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee from 1978 to 1995. Education and career B ...

, who had taken senior status. The

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

confirmed Campbell in a voice vote on December 22, 1995, and he received his commission on December 26, 1995. Campbell served as the chief judge from 2005 to 2012, being succeeded by William Joseph Haynes Jr. He took senior status on December 1, 2016, due to a certified disability. He had been inactive since he took senior status, meaning that while he remained a federal judge, he no longer heard cases or participated in the business of the court.

Death

Campbell died of the effects of

multiple system atrophy Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder characterized by tremors, slow movement, muscle rigidity, postural instability (collectively known as parkinsonism), autonomic dysfunction and ataxia. This is caused by progr ...

on April 11, 2021, having suffered from the syndrome for numerous years.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Campbell, Todd J. 1956 births 2021 deaths Judges of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee People from Rockford, Illinois Tennessee Democrats United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton University of Tennessee College of Law alumni Vanderbilt University alumni 20th-century American judges 21st-century American judges