William L. Campbell, Jr.

William Lynn "Chip" Campbell Jr. (born January 4, 1969) is an American lawyer who serves as the chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Education Campbell earned a Bachelor of Science in political science from the United States Naval Academy. He served seven years in the United States Marine Corps, principally as a naval flight officer. He received a Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Alabama Law Review and was an inductee of the Order of the Coif.

Career He worked as an associate and later a partner in the Nashville firm of Riley Warnock & Jacobson, PLC, and as an associate in the Birmingham, Alabama, office of Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C. Before becoming a judge, he was a member in the Nashville office of Frost Brown Todd, LLC, where he handled civil litigation. On October 5, 2017, his nomination was reported out of committee by a voice vote. On January 8, 2018, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 89–1 vote. On January 9, 2018, his nomination was confirmed by a 97–0 vote. He received his judicial commission on January 12, 2018. He became the chief judge on April 15, 2024.

On July 24, 2020, Campbell blocked part of Tennessee's abortion law that would ban abortions in the early stages of pregnancy.