---
title: "John Campbell | KnowJudges"
canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-campbell-dc-superior-court-senior-judge"
page_type: "judge_profile"
updated: "2026-10-07"
---

# John Campbell

Superior Court of the District of Columbia · Senior Judge

## Profile

- Court: Superior Court of the District of Columbia
- State: District of Columbia
- Role: Senior Judge
- Service status: senior
- Last verified: 2026-07-29

## Summary

Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge.

## Biography

### Professional career

- Judge, Supreme Court of Colorado, 1895-1937

### Education


### Additional information

- He died on March 12, 1889, in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Although Campbell initially opposed secession as imprudent, he resigned from the Supreme Court in 1861 and aligned with the Confederacy.
- Supreme Court from 1853 until 1861.
- Date of birth: 1853-01-01
- Campbell lived the remainder of his life in New Orleans, maintaining a prominent legal career and opposing Reconstruction policies.
- Known as a strict constructionist and a proponent of states’ rights.
- His career is remembered for his early legal brilliance, his role in one of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions in U.S. history, and his complex position during the Civil War era.
- His most notable contribution was his concurring opinion in the Dred Scott v.
- Sandford case, where he agreed with Chief Justice Roger Taney that Congress lacked authority to regulate slavery in the territories, reinforcing the legal framework that heightened sectional tensions before.
- He held the role of assistant secretary of war under Jefferson Davis.
- At the end of the war, he was imprisoned for six months at Fort Pulaski on false charges but later received a pardon.
- Afterward, he resumed his law practice in New Orleans and continued to argue cases before.

## 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

### recording and rebroadcasting

Scope: courtwide

Recording, photographing, or rebroadcasting a remote Superior Court hearing is not allowed.

Evidence excerpt: Audio and video recording, taking pictures of remote hearings, and sharing the live or recorded remote hearing by rebroadcasting, live-streaming, or otherwise are not allowed.

[Hearing Information](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/hearing-information)
Source checked: 2026-07-27


## Sources

- [Official profile](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-judges/campbell-john)
- [Official roster](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-judges/campbell-john)
- [District of Columbia Courts official judicial roster](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-judges/campbell-john)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3874/john-campbell/)
- [Hearing Information](https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/hearing-information)
- [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3874/john-campbell/)

## JSON-LD

```json
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@graph": [
    {
      "@type": "WebPage",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-campbell-dc-superior-court-senior-judge",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-campbell-dc-superior-court-senior-judge",
      "name": "John Campbell | KnowJudges",
      "description": "John Campbell, Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Source-linked judicial identity, courtroom procedures, and presentation guidance.",
      "dateModified": "2026-10-07",
      "isPartOf": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/#website"
      },
      "mainEntity": {
        "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-campbell-dc-superior-court-senior-judge#judge"
      }
    },
    {
      "@type": "Person",
      "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-campbell-dc-superior-court-senior-judge#judge",
      "name": "John Campbell",
      "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-campbell-dc-superior-court-senior-judge",
      "jobTitle": "Senior Judge",
      "worksFor": {
        "@type": "GovernmentOrganization",
        "name": "Superior Court of the District of Columbia"
      },
      "sameAs": [
        "https://www.dccourts.gov/superior-court/superior-court-judges/campbell-john",
        "https://www.courtlistener.com/person/3874/john-campbell/"
      ],
      "birthDate": "1853"
    },
    {
      "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 1,
          "name": "KnowJudges",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 2,
          "name": "District of Columbia",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/state/district-of-columbia"
        },
        {
          "@type": "ListItem",
          "position": 3,
          "name": "John Campbell",
          "item": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/john-campbell-dc-superior-court-senior-judge"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}
```