United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee
Encyclopedia
The United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee (in case citation
s, M.D. Tenn.) is the federal trial court for most of Middle Tennessee
. Based in Nashville
, it was created in 1839 when Congress added a third district to the state. Tennessee—along with Kentucky
, Ohio
, and Michigan
-- is located within the area covered by United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
, and appeals are taken to that court (except for patent
claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act
, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit
).
's appointment of John McNairy
. Since Congress failed to assign the district to a circuit, the court had the jurisdiction of both a district court and a circuit court. Appeals from this one district court went directly to the United States Supreme Court.
On February 13, 1801, in the famous " Midnight Judges" Act of 1801, 2 Stat. 89, Congress abolished the U.S. district court in Tennessee, and expanded the number of circuits to six, provided for independent circuit court judgeships, and abolished the necessity of Supreme Court Justices riding the circuits. It was this legislation which created the grandfather of the present Sixth Circuit. The act provided for a "Sixth Circuit" comprising two districts in the State of Tennessee, one district in the State of Kentucky and one district, called the Ohio District, composed of the Ohio and Indiana territories (the latter including the present State of Michigan). The new Sixth Circuit Court was to be held at "Bairdstown" in the District of Kentucky, at Knoxville in the District of East Tennessee, at Nashville in the District of West Tennessee, and at Cincinnati in the District of Ohio. Unlike the other circuits which were provided with three circuit judges, the Sixth Circuit was to have only one circuit judge with district judges from Kentucky and Tennessee comprising the rest of the court. Any two judges constituted a quorum. New circuit judgeships were to be created as district judgeships in Kentucky and Tennessee became vacant.
The repeal of this Act restored the District on March 8, 1802, 2 Stat. 132. The District was divided into the Eastern
and Western
Districts on April 29, 1802. On February 24, 1807, Congress again abolished the two districts and created the United States Circuit for the District of Tennessee. On March 3, 1837, Congress assigned the judicial district of Tennessee to the Eighth Circuit. On June 18, 1839, by 5 Stat. 313, Congress divided Tennessee into three districts, Eastern, Middle, and Western. Again, only one judgeship was allotted for all three districts. On July 15, 1862, Congress reassigned appellate jurisdiction to the Sixth Circuit. Finally, on June 14, 1878, Congress authorized a separate judgeship for the Western District of Tennessee, at which time President Rutherford B. Hayes
appointed David M. Key
as judge for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Tennessee. The first judge to serve only the Middle District of Tennessee was John J. Gore
, appointed by Warren G. Harding
.
, the judges on the court are:
}||–||death
|-
| Charles Dickens Clark
||Grover Cleveland
||||||–||death
|-
| Leslie Rogers Darr
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
||||||–||assignment to another court
|-
| Elmer David Davies
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
||||||–||death
|-
| Robert L. Echols
||Ronald Reagan
||||||||retirement
|-
| John J. Gore
||Warren G. Harding
||||||–||death
|-
| Frank Gray, Jr.
||John F. Kennedy
||||-||
|-
| Xenophon Hicks
||Warren G. Harding
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| Thomas Aquinas Higgins
||Ronald Reagan
||||||||retirement
|-
| West Hughes Humphreys
||Franklin Pierce
||||||–||impeachment and conviction
|-
| David M. Key
||Rutherford B. Hayes
||||||–||retirement
|-
| William Ernest Miller
||Dwight D. Eisenhower
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| Leland Clure Morton
||Richard Nixon
||||||||death
|-
| Edward Terry Sanford
||Theodore Roosevelt
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| Connally Findlay Trigg
||Abraham Lincoln
||||||–||death
|-
|}
Case citation
Case citation is the system used in many countries to identify the decisions in past court cases, either in special series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a 'neutral' form which will identify a decision wherever it was reported...
s, M.D. Tenn.) is the federal trial court for most of Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee
Middle Tennessee is a distinct portion of the state of Tennessee, delineated according to state law as the 41 counties in the Middle Grand Division of Tennessee....
. Based in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, it was created in 1839 when Congress added a third district to the state. Tennessee—along with Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
-- is located within the area covered by United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Kentucky* Western District of Kentucky...
, and appeals are taken to that court (except for patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act
Tucker Act
Through the Tucker Act , the United States government has waived its sovereign immunity with respect to certain lawsuits....
, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
-Vacancies and pending nominations:-List of former judges:-Chief judges:Notwithstanding the foregoing, when the court was initially created, Congress had to resolve which chief judge of the predecessor courts would become the first chief judge...
).
History
The United States District Court for the District of Tennessee was established with one judgeship on January 31, 1797, by 1 Stat. 496. The judgeship was filled by President George WashingtonGeorge Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's appointment of John McNairy
John McNairy
John McNairy was a United States federal judge in Tennessee.Born in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, McNairy read law to enter the bar in 1788...
. Since Congress failed to assign the district to a circuit, the court had the jurisdiction of both a district court and a circuit court. Appeals from this one district court went directly to the United States Supreme Court.
On February 13, 1801, in the famous " Midnight Judges" Act of 1801, 2 Stat. 89, Congress abolished the U.S. district court in Tennessee, and expanded the number of circuits to six, provided for independent circuit court judgeships, and abolished the necessity of Supreme Court Justices riding the circuits. It was this legislation which created the grandfather of the present Sixth Circuit. The act provided for a "Sixth Circuit" comprising two districts in the State of Tennessee, one district in the State of Kentucky and one district, called the Ohio District, composed of the Ohio and Indiana territories (the latter including the present State of Michigan). The new Sixth Circuit Court was to be held at "Bairdstown" in the District of Kentucky, at Knoxville in the District of East Tennessee, at Nashville in the District of West Tennessee, and at Cincinnati in the District of Ohio. Unlike the other circuits which were provided with three circuit judges, the Sixth Circuit was to have only one circuit judge with district judges from Kentucky and Tennessee comprising the rest of the court. Any two judges constituted a quorum. New circuit judgeships were to be created as district judgeships in Kentucky and Tennessee became vacant.
The repeal of this Act restored the District on March 8, 1802, 2 Stat. 132. The District was divided into the Eastern
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee is the federal court in the Sixth Circuit whose jurisdiction covers all of East Tennessee and a portion of Middle Tennessee. The court has jurisdiction over 41 counties with 4 divisions...
and Western
United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
The United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee is the Federal district court covering the western part of the state of Tennessee. Appeals from the Western District of Tennessee are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit The United States District...
Districts on April 29, 1802. On February 24, 1807, Congress again abolished the two districts and created the United States Circuit for the District of Tennessee. On March 3, 1837, Congress assigned the judicial district of Tennessee to the Eighth Circuit. On June 18, 1839, by 5 Stat. 313, Congress divided Tennessee into three districts, Eastern, Middle, and Western. Again, only one judgeship was allotted for all three districts. On July 15, 1862, Congress reassigned appellate jurisdiction to the Sixth Circuit. Finally, on June 14, 1878, Congress authorized a separate judgeship for the Western District of Tennessee, at which time President Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
appointed David M. Key
David M. Key
David McKendree Key was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Tennessee from 1875 to 1877 as well as the U.S. Postmaster General under President Hayes.-Biography:...
as judge for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Tennessee. The first judge to serve only the Middle District of Tennessee was John J. Gore
John J. Gore
John Jordan Gore was a United States federal judge.Born in Gainesboro, Tennessee, Gore read law to enter the Bar in 1899, and immediately went in private practice in Jackson, Tennessee. He served in the Tennessee State Senate, and was collector of customs for the state of Tennessee...
, appointed by Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
.
Current composition of the court
- Todd J. CampbellTodd J. CampbellTodd J. Campbell is a United States federal judge, currently the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.- Early life and education :...
is the current Chief Judge.
- Four Magistrate Judges serve in the District: Juliet Griffin; Joe B. Brown; E. Clifton Knowles; and John S. Bryant.
, the judges on the court are:
Former Judges
| Judge | Appointed by | Began active service |
Ended active service |
Ended senior status |
End reason |
| Morgan Welles Brown Morgan Welles Brown Morgan Welles Brown was a United States federal judge.Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, and named after his father Dr. Morgan Brown IV , his mother was the former Elizabeth Little... |
Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans... |
|-
| Charles Dickens Clark
Charles Dickens Clark
Charles Dickens Clark was a United States federal judge.Born in Laurel Cove, Tennessee, Clark received a B.A. from Burritt College in 1871 and an LL.B. from Cumberland University in 1873. He was on the staff of Confederate States General George G. Dibrell in Richmond, Virginia from 1864 to 1865...
||Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
||||||–||death
|-
| Leslie Rogers Darr
Leslie Rogers Darr
Leslie Rogers Darr was a United States federal judge.Born in Jasper, Tennessee, Darr received an LL.B. from Cumberland University in 1909. He was in private practice in Jasper, Tennessee from 1910 to 1926...
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
||||||–||assignment to another court
|-
| Elmer David Davies
Elmer David Davies
Elmer David Davies was a United States federal judge.Born in Magnolia, Arkansas, Davies received an LL.B. from Vanderbilt University in 1922. He was in private practice in Nashville, Tennessee from 1922 to 1939, and served as a Tennessee state senator from 1935 to 1939.On June 19, 1939, Davies was...
||Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
||||||–||death
|-
| Robert L. Echols
Robert L. Echols
Robert L. Echols is a United States federal judge.Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Echols received a B.A. from Rhodes College in 1962 and a J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1964. He was in the United States Army in 1966. He was a law clerk to judge Marion S. Boyd, of the U.S....
||Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
||||||||retirement
|-
| John J. Gore
John J. Gore
John Jordan Gore was a United States federal judge.Born in Gainesboro, Tennessee, Gore read law to enter the Bar in 1899, and immediately went in private practice in Jackson, Tennessee. He served in the Tennessee State Senate, and was collector of customs for the state of Tennessee...
||Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
||||||–||death
|-
| Frank Gray, Jr.
Frank Gray, Jr.
Frank Gray, Jr. was a United States federal judge.Born in Franklin, Tennessee, Gray received an LL.B. from Cumberland University in 1928. He was in private practice in Franklin from 1928 to 1961, and was mayor of Franklin from 1947 to 1961.On November 20, 1961, Gray received a recess appointment...
||John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
||||-||
|-
| Xenophon Hicks
Xenophon Hicks
Xenophon Hicks was a United States federal judge.Born in Clinton, Tennessee, Hicks received an A.B. from Grant University in 1891 and an LL.B. from Cumberland University in 1892. He was in private practice in Clinton, Tennessee from 1892 to 1898...
||Warren G. Harding
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding was the 29th President of the United States . A Republican from Ohio, Harding was an influential self-made newspaper publisher. He served in the Ohio Senate , as the 28th Lieutenant Governor of Ohio and as a U.S. Senator...
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| Thomas Aquinas Higgins
Thomas Aquinas Higgins
-Biography:Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Higgins received an A.A. from Christian Brother College in 1952 and a B.A. from the University of Tennessee in 1954. He received an LL.B. from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1957. He was in the United States Army, JAG Corps from 1957 to 1960...
||Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
||||||||retirement
|-
| West Hughes Humphreys
West Hughes Humphreys
West Hughes Humphreys was a United States District Court judge, and a judge of the Confederate States of America...
||Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was the 14th President of the United States and is the only President from New Hampshire. Pierce was a Democrat and a "doughface" who served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Pierce took part in the Mexican-American War and became a brigadier general in the Army...
||||||–||impeachment and conviction
|-
| David M. Key
David M. Key
David McKendree Key was a Democratic U.S. Senator from Tennessee from 1875 to 1877 as well as the U.S. Postmaster General under President Hayes.-Biography:...
||Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford B. Hayes
Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...
||||||–||retirement
|-
| William Ernest Miller
William Ernest Miller
William Ernest Miller was a United States federal judge.Born in Johnson City, Tennessee, Miller received an A.B. from the University of Tennessee in 1930 and an LL.B. from Yale Law School in 1933. He was in private practice in Johnson City, Tennessee from 1933 to 1955...
||Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| Leland Clure Morton
Leland Clure Morton
Leland Clure Morton was a United States federal judge.Born in Knoxville, Tennessee, Morton received a B.A. from the University of Tennessee in 1934 and a J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1936. He was in private practice in Knoxville, Tennessee from 1937 to 1941...
||Richard Nixon
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. The only president to resign the office, Nixon had previously served as a US representative and senator from California and as the 36th Vice President of the United States from 1953 to 1961 under...
||||||||death
|-
| Edward Terry Sanford
Edward Terry Sanford
Edward Terry Sanford was an American jurist who served as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court from 1923 until his death in 1930. Prior to his nomination to the high court, Sanford served as an Assistant Attorney General under President Theodore Roosevelt from 1905 to 1907, and...
||Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
||||||–||reappointment
|-
| Connally Findlay Trigg
Connally Findlay Trigg (judge)
Connally Findlay Trigg was a United States federal judge.Born in Abingdon, Virginia, Trigg read law in 1833 and had a private practice in Abingdon until 1856. He was a member of the Abingdon Town Council beginning in 1835, and a Clerk of the Washington County Court in Abingdon from 1838 to 1852...
||Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
||||||–||death
|-
|}