President Joe Biden included local attorney Karla Campbell in his latest round of judicial nominations, released Wednesday morning. Campbell previously clerked for Jane Branstetter Stranch, who announced she would step back from the 6th Circuit bench earlier this year. Campbell currently works at local firm Stranch, Jennings & Garvey specializing in employee rights and labor law.
The U.S. Senate will likely vet Campbell in judiciary hearings and vote on her nomination before the presidential election in November. She has previously served as legal advisory for local workers’ rights nonprofit Workers’ Dignity and represented the family of Gustavo Ramirez, the 16-year-old who fell to his death during construction of the La Quinta hotel near Nissan Stadium.
Gustavo Ramirez was a popular 16-year-old who loved soccer, played drums at school and in a church youth program and had an infectious, happy-…
The United States Court of Appeals sits just under the Supreme Court in the federal judiciary. It handles cases appealed from district courts and covers a geographic area including Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan. If her nomination is successful, Campbell will be the fourth judge added to the 6th Circuit by Biden in the past two years. Republican Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty attempted to block the nomination of Andre Mathis, a Memphis attorney who was eventually confirmed to the 6th Circuit, during Mathis’ nomination hearing in January 2022.
Campbell did not respond to the Scene’s request for comment. In a public statement released Wednesday morning, the Oval Office emphasized diversity and qualifications among his judicial nominees.
“These choices also continue to fulfill the President’s promise to ensure that the nation’s courts reflect the diversity that is one of our greatest assets as a country — both in terms of personal and professional backgrounds,” reads the statement, in part.
It includes two circuit court nominees and two district court nominees. Biden has nominated 244 people to the federal bench since taking office in 2020.
