Image Credit: U.S. Dept of Justice, Sen. Marsha Blackburn / Facebook & Canva.
Article by Paula Gomes, Tennessee Conservative News –
The United States District Judges in Middle Tennessee – all four of them – have recused themselves from Republican Tennessee Senator and gubernatorial hopeful Marsha Blackburn’s lawsuit over what she has said was a violation of her constitutional rights.
The order, signed by Chief United States District Judge William L. Campbell Jr., and filed October 5th, states that a judge from outside of the district will be designated by the United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit so that the case may be reassigned, but does not state a reason why all the judges have recused themselves.
President Donald Trump appointed two of the judges: Judge Campbell and Judge Eli J. Richardson.
Campbell was nominated by Trump in July 2017. In January 2018, Campbell was confirmed by the Senate and has served as chief judge since 2024.
Richardson was both nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate in October 2018.
Judge Aleta A. Trauger was appointed by President Bill Clinton. Trauger was nominated in September 1998 and confirmed in October of the same year.
Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. was nominated by President Barack Obama. Crenshaw was nominated in February 2015, confirmed in April 2016, and served as chief judge between 2017 and 2024.
Blackburn filed suit last month against former special counsel Jack Smith who collected her phone records during the Arctic Frost investigation, a joint effort between the DOJ Office of Inspector General (OIG), FBI, National Archives and Records Administration, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Opened in April 2022 by then-assistant special agent in charge at the FBI’s Washington Field Office Timothy Thibault, the investigation was transferred to Smith in November that year. Grand jury subpoenas were used in 2023 to obtain the records from nine Republican politicians of which Blackburn was one.
Smith has stated that his office consulted the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section before issuing the subpoenas, and that the records did not include call contents.
Blackburn’s 46-page lawsuit alleges the violation of the First and Fourth Amendments, Speech or Debate Clause, and seeks a declaration that Smith’s appointment and the collection of the phone records were unlawful.
Sources:
NBC.
About the Author: Paula Gomes is a Tennessee resident and reporter for The Tennessee Conservative. You can reach Paula at paula@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
