--- title: "William Lynn Campbell Jr. | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-l-campbell-jr" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-09" --- # William Lynn Campbell Jr. 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 - William Lynn “Chip” Campbell Jr. is the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, a position he assumed on April 15, 2024, after serving as a district judge since January 12, 2018 - Judge, District Court, M.D. Tennessee, 2018-present - U.S. Marine Corps commissioned officer (highest rank: captain), 1991-1998 ### Education - The University of Alabama — J.D. (2001) - United States Naval Academy — B.S. (1991) - Franklin Road Academy - University of Alabama School of Law ### Additional information - Private practice, Nashville, TN, 2003-2018 - Private practice, Birmingham, AL, 2001-2003 - Date of birth: 1969-01-01 - Birth place: Nashville, TN ## 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 evidence 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 evidence in opening statements. As a general rule, exhibits to which no counsel has… [Campbell%20Practice%20and%20Procedure%20Manual%202023.pdf](https://www.tnmd.uscourts.gov/sites/tnmd/files/Campbell%20Practice%20and%20Procedure%20Manual%202023.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/4027846) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/4027846) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/4027846) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/8560/william-lynn-campbell-jr/) - [Campbell%20Practice%20and%20Procedure%20Manual%202023.pdf](https://www.tnmd.uscourts.gov/sites/tnmd/files/Campbell%20Practice%20and%20Procedure%20Manual%202023.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/8560/william-lynn-campbell-jr/) - [Wikidata: William L. Campbell, Jr.](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q33026990) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-l-campbell-jr", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-l-campbell-jr", "name": "William Lynn Campbell Jr. | KnowJudges", "description": "William Lynn Campbell Jr., 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.