In memory of former Chief District Judge Todd J. Campbell (bio below), the Court's Bench and Bar Fund Committee authorizes the distribution of scholarship funds to six law schools in Tennessee to benefit economically disadvantaged law students from the Middle District. Since the 2008-2009 academic year, the Bench and Bar Fund has provided over $600,000.00 in scholarships. The six law school receiving funding for the 2023-2024 acadmic year include: Belmont University College of Law, Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law, Nashville School of Law, University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, University of Tennessee College of Law, and Vanderbilt Law School.
Chief District Judge Todd J. Campbell
Todd J. Campbell was born on September 5, 1956, in Rockford, Illinois. He moved with his family to Nashville where he played youth baseball and developed a life-long love of the game.
He was a proud graduate of McGavock High School and pursued his undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University. He graduated from the University of Tennessee Law School and began his law career in 1982 in Nashville with Gullett, Sanford, Robinson and Martin. There he developed an expertise in federal election law and his first election law client was Al Gore.
Following the election of President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore in 1992, Todd became Counsel to the Vice President. After two years, he and his wife returned to Nashville to raise their family.
In 1995, President Clinton nominated Todd to succeed retiring District Judge Thomas Wiseman and the Senate confirmed him as the youngest federal judge in the nation at age 39.
Judge Campbell was widely admired for being a completely impartial and an unfailingly courteous jurist. He presided over more than 10,000 cases and 200 trials, 4 of which went to the U.S. Supreme Court. Not only were his opinions rarely overturned by the appellate courts, but his work was even adopted by the U.S. Supreme Court in Brentwood Academy v. T.S.S.A.A., 531 U.S. 288 (2001).
Judge Campbell was known to render decisions wisely, promptly, and succinctly. Of judicial options, he was fond of saying, "Think more; write less." He was highly respected by the bar for his towering intellect, his quick wit, and his even-keeled demeanor.
Less known to the general public was the kindness that Judge Campbell displayed in his work. He was beloved by his long-time staff and made it a point to get to know everyone in the courthouse. As Chief Judge, he proved himself to be an able administrator, guiding the court through many challenges and playing a key role in the creation of the new Fred D. Thompson Courthouse and Federal Building.
In addition, Judge Campbell also loved being an adjunct law professor at the University of Tennessee, Nashville School of Law, and Belmont University.
Judge Campbell's favorite task as a federal judge was to swear in new citizens. He performed more than 100 naturalization ceremonies, often in historic sites such as the Hermitage, during which he welcomed thousands of new Americans. A great storyteller himself, he wove into each ceremony the tale of his ancestor who arrived in this country in 1881 as an impoverished German orphan and spent a few days in debtor’s prison. So, when he swore in new citizens, Judge Campbell liked to observe that, in a few generations, his family had gone “from the jailhouse, to the White House, to the courthouse.”