Article III of the Constitution governs the appointment, tenure, and payment of Supreme Court justices, and federal circuit and district judges. These judges, often referred to as “Article III judges,” are nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Below is a list of the Article III District Judges who have served or currently serve the Middle District of Tennessee.
District of Tennessee
McNairy, John (1797-1802)
Eastern and Western Districts of Tennessee
McNairy, John (1802-1833)
Brown, Morgan Welles (1834-1853)
Middle District of Tennessee
Brown, Morgan Welles (1839-1853)
Humphreys, West Hughes (1853-1862)
Trigg, Connally Findlay (1862-1880)
Key, David McKendree (1880-1895)
Clark, Charles Dickson (1895-1908)
Sanford, Edward Terry (1908-1923)
Gore, John J. (1923-1939)
Hicks, Xenophon (1923-1928)
Darr, Leslie Rogers (1939-1940)
Davies, Elmer David (1939-1957)
Miller, William Ernest (1955-1970)
Gray, Frank Jr. (1961-1978)
Morton, Leland Clure (1970-1998)
Wiseman, Thomas Anderton Jr. (1978-2013)
Nixon, John Trice (1980-2016)
Higgins, Thomas Aquinas (1984-2006)
Echols, Robert L. (1992-2010)
Campbell, Todd J. (1995-2016)
Trauger, Aleta Arthur (1998-present)
Haynes, William Joseph Jr. (1999-2017)
Sharp, Kevin Hunter (2011-2017)
Crenshaw, Waverly D., Jr. (2016-present)
Campbell, William Lynn, Jr. (2018-present)
Richardson, Eli J. (2018-present)
Source: Federal Judicial Center