--- title: "Eli Jeremy Richardson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/eli-j-richardson" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # Eli Jeremy Richardson U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee - State: Tennessee - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official judge-specific and circuitwide procedural guidance has been located for this profile. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, District Court, M.D. Tennessee, 2018-present - American federal judge serving on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee since October 18, 2018 - Adjunct professor, Vanderbilt University Law School, 2016-present - Assistant U.S. attorney, Middle District of Tennessee, 2004-2010 - Assistant U.S. attorney, District of New Jersey, 2002-2004 - Richardson continues to serve as a district judge in the Middle District of Tennessee - He has also held the role of an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt and previously taught trial advocacy at Belmont University College of Law ### Education - Vanderbilt University Law School in, where he was on the Vanderbilt Law Review — J.D. (1992) - Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Duke University in 1989 - E. — Duke University — B.S. (1989) ### Additional information - Private practice, Nashville, TN, 2010-2018 - Leadership staff, Legislative Research Commission, Commonwealth of Kentucky, 2016-2017 - On July 13, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Richardson to replace Judge Todd J. Campbell, who had assumed senior status in 2016. - Adjunct instructor, Belmont University College of Law, 2013-2015 - Resident legal advisor, Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training, U.S. Embassy, Belgrade, Serbia (on detail), 2009-2010 - Special agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Newark, NJ, 1998-2002 - Private practice, Conyers, GA, 1997-1998 - Private practice, Decatur, GA, 1995-1997 - Private practice, Atlanta, GA, 1993-1995 - Private practice, Grand Rapids, MI, 1992-1993 - Born 1967 in Summit, New Jersey. - Date of birth: 1967-01-01 - handling a range of federal cases, and remains active in legal education - Birth place: Summit, NJ ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### presentation procedure Scope: judge specific Judge-specific source Evidence excerpt: Use of Exhibits Counsel who wish to use exhibits or demonstrative aids in opening statement shall consult with opposing counsel in advance and attempt to resolve any objections. Counsel should also request permission from the judge to use exhibits or demonstrative aids in opening statements. As a general rule, exhibits or demonstrative aids to which… [Richardson%20Practice%20and%20Procedure%20Manual%20-%20Updated%2010-30-19.pdf](https://www.tnmd.uscourts.gov/sites/tnmd/files/Richardson%20Practice%20and%20Procedure%20Manual%20-%20Updated%2010-30-19.pdf) Source checked: 2026-07-24 ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/5374576) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/5374576) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/5374576) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8628/eli-jeremy-richardson/) - [Richardson%20Practice%20and%20Procedure%20Manual%20-%20Updated%2010-30-19.pdf](https://www.tnmd.uscourts.gov/sites/tnmd/files/Richardson%20Practice%20and%20Procedure%20Manual%20-%20Updated%2010-30-19.pdf) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8628/eli-jeremy-richardson/) - [Wikidata: Eli J. Richardson](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q33026983) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/eli-j-richardson", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/eli-j-richardson", "name": "Eli Jeremy Richardson | KnowJudges", "description": "Eli Jeremy Richardson, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.