John Nixon
| John Nixon | |
| Current Court Information: | |
| United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee | |
| Title: | Senior Judge |
| Position: | Seat #3 |
| Service: | |
| Appointed by: | Jimmy Carter |
| Active: | 5/12/1980 - 8/15/1998 |
| Chief: | 1991 - 1998 |
| Senior: | 8/15/1998 - Current |
| Preceded by: | 92 Stat. 1629 |
| Succeeded by: | Aleta Trauger |
| Personal History | |
| Born: | 1933 |
| Home State: | New Orleans, LA |
| Bachelors: | Harvard U., A.B., 1955 |
| Law School: | Vanderbilt U. Law School, LL.B., 1960 |
| Military service: | U.S. Army 1958 |
Contents |
John Trice Nixon is an Article III federal judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. He joined the court in 1980 after being nominated by President Jimmy Carter. He is serving on senior status.
Early life and education
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Nixon graduated from Harvard University with his Bachelor's Degree in 1955. Nixon served in the United States Army in 1958 before graduating from Vanderbilt Law School in 1960. [1]
Professional career
Nixon was a private practice attorney in Anniston, Alabama from 1960 to 1962. From 1962 to 1964, Nixon served as City Attorney for Anniston, before joining the U.S. Department of Justice as a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division from 1964 to 1969. Nixon was a Staff Attorney at the Tennessee State Comptroller's Office from 1971 to 1976. Nixon was appointed a Circuit Court Judge in the State of Tennessee from 1977 to 1978. In 1978, Nixon was appointed to serve as judge for the Tennessee General Sessions Court. [1]
Judicial career
Middle District of Tennessee
On the recommendation of U.S. Senator Jim Sasser, Nixon was nominated to the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee by President Jimmy Carter to a new judgeship created by by 92 Stat. 1629, which was approved by Congress. Nixon was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on May 9, 1980 on a Senate vote and received commission on May 12, 1980. Nixon served as the chief judge for the Court from 1991 to 1998 before assuming senior status on August 15, 1998. [1] Nixon was succeeded in this position by Aleta Trauger.
Notable cases
Whirlpool sexual harassment
Judge Nixon ruled on December 22, 2009, that Whirlpool, Inc. was liable in the sexual harassment of a former female employee who worked at a Tennessee plant for sixteen years.
Nixon awarded the former employee over $1 million in damages after there was evidence that employees sexually harassed her, and she suffered post-traumatic stress disorder because of it.
Also, the judge found that Whirlpool did nothing to take corrective action to prevent sexual harassment by employees[2].
Tennessee trooper lawsuit
On August 28, 2009, Judge Nixon dismissed a retaliation lawsuit filed by a former member of the Tennessee Highway Patrol who alleged that he was retaliated against because of his political affiliation as a Republican. Lt. Robert Eckerman sued the State of Tennessee after claiming he was retaliated against by the administration of the Tennnessee Highway Patrol under Democratic Governor Phil Bredsen. Judge Nixon found that Lt. Eckerman did not show evidence beyond a reasonable doubt that the State of Tennessee committed illegal retaliation. [3]
External links
- Judge Nixon's Homepage
- Judge John Nixon biography from the Federal Judicial Center
References
| Federal judicial offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: NA-New Seat |
Middle District of Tennessee 1980–1998 Seat #3 |
Succeeded by: Aleta Trauger |
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Active judges |
Chief Judge: Todd CampbellChief Judge: William Haynes • Aleta Trauger • Kevin Hunter Sharp | ||
| Senior judges |
Thomas Wiseman • John Nixon • | ||
| Magistrate judges | Juliet Griffin • Clifton Knowles • Joe Brown • John Bryant • | ||
| Former Article III judges |
Robert Echols • Morgan Welles Brown • West Hughes Humphreys • Connally Findlay Trigg • William Miller • David McKendree Key • Charles Dickens Clark • Edward Terry Sanford • John Gore • Xenophon Hicks • Leslie Darr • Elmer Davies • Leland Clure Morton • Thomas Higgins • Frank Gray • | ||
| Former Chief judges |
Thomas Wiseman • John Nixon • Robert Echols • William Miller • Elmer Davies • Leland Clure Morton • Frank Gray • | ||
