John W. Campbell at a glance
- Current role
- Court of Criminal Appeals Judge
- Jurisdiction
- Tennessee · State
- Judicial service
- Active
John W. Campbell
Court of Criminal Appeals Judge · Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals
Biography
Professional career
- Judge of the Western Section of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals, appointed in 2022 after a long career in Shelby County criminal law
- Before joining the appellate court, Campbell was Judge of Criminal Court Division VI in the 30th Judicial District (Shelby County) from 2012 to 2022.
- Assistant District Attorney General, 30th Judicial District, 1985-2012
Education
- UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS Law School 1983
- UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS Undergraduate 1980
Additional information
- Year Elected/Appointed: 2022
- Appointed by Governor Bill Haslam in 2012 and elected in 2014 for an eight-year term.
- Assistant Public Defender, 1984
- In that role, he presided over roughly 1,200 criminal cases annually, including drug offenses, murder, child abuse, and post-conviction relief
- In his own words, Campbell said: “Becoming an appellate judge was always an aspiration, and I am grateful to everyone who helped make this goal come to fruition”
- Judge Campbell has taught trial advocacy and ethics nationwide, held the role of Chairman of the Education Committee for the Tennessee Judicial Conference, and was a technical advisor to the National Civil Rights Museum on the Martin Luther King Jr. assassination and James Earl Ray.
- He is also a member of the Judicial Ethics Committee and the Diocesan Review Board of the Catholic Diocese of Memphis
Applicable Court Rules & Procedures
Recording and broadcasting
Statewide
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 30 allows media coverage of public judicial proceedings subject to the presiding judge's control and requires written media requests at least two business days before the proceeding unless waived.
Requests by representatives of the media for such coverage must be made in writing to the presiding judge not less than two (2) business days before the proceeding is scheduled to begin.Rule 30: Media Guidelines ↗
Statewide
Tennessee Rule 30 prohibits media coverage of jury selection, jurors, closed proceedings, and certain minor or juvenile-court participants.
Media coverage of jury selection is prohibited.Rule 30: Media Guidelines ↗
Remote appearances
Statewide
Tennessee Supreme Court Rule 55 permits teleconferencing, video conferencing, or other technology for court proceedings at the discretion of the trial or appellate court.
The use of teleconferencing, video conferencing or other technology to conduct court proceedings or other court business remotely is permissible at the discretion of the trial or appellate court.Rule 55: Use of Technology for Court Proceedings ↗
Published courtroom rules
Shared court rules
Rule 30: Media Guidelines
Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals
Scope is limited to the court class in the source claim. Shared court context only; case-type restrictions, exceptions, later amendments and case orders apply. This is not a personal preference or a complete rules inventory.
Official source ↗ · Collected 2026-07-26Sources
Identity source checked July 26, 2026.
Biography sources checked August 2, 2026.
Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster
Identity source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts official judicial roster ↗Rule 30: Media Guidelines
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Rule 30: Media Guidelines ↗Rule 55: Use of Technology for Court Proceedings
Statewide source · HTML · Source checked July 26, 2026
View Rule 55: Use of Technology for Court Proceedings ↗