Robert L. Echols

Who is Robert L. Echols?

Robert L. Echols is a former United States federal judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Echols received a B.A. from Southwestern College in Memphis in 1962 and a J.D. from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1964. He was in the United States Army in 1966. He was a law clerk to judge Marion S. Boyd, of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee from 1965 to 1966. He was a Legislative assistant, Congressman Dan Kuykendall in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1969. He was in private practice in Nashville, Tennessee from 1969 to 1992, serving as a night commissioner for Davidson County, Tennessee from 1974 to 1975.

On October 22, 1991, Echols was nominated by President George H.W. Bush to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee created by 104 Stat. 5089. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 13, 1992, and received his commission on March 18, 1992. He served as chief judge from 1998 to 2005, assuming senior status on March 1, 2007 and retiring fully from the bench on July 31, 2010.