Judge
On September 24, 1940, Campbell was nominated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to a new seat on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois created by 54 Stat. 219. He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 7, 1940, and received his commission on October 10, 1940. Early in his time on the bench he conducted one of the few treason trials ever held in the United States.
He served as chief judge of the court from 1959 to 1970, assuming senior status on March 19, 1970. While continuing his federal judicial service in this capacity, he was also assistant director of the Federal Judicial Center from 1971 until his death, in 1988, in West Palm Beach, Florida.
When Supreme Court justice Felix Frankfurter died in 1965, many thought Campbell was certain to be appointed to the Court by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson instead chose Abe Fortas, who resigned four years later. When asked about the missed opportunity many years later, Campbell said, "Although I knew Johnson intimately and personally, he was bigoted enough not to want two Catholics on the Supreme Court."
In 1965, Campbell took on Chicago kingpin Sam Giancana. When Giancana was asked to testify before a Chicago Grand Jury, he invoked his fifth amendment right to remain silent. Campbell granted Giancana immunity from prosecution and ordered him to testify. After Giancana refused, he spent the next year in jail on contempt charges.
At the time of his death, he was the longest-tenured federal judge in the United States.
Read more about this topic: William Joseph Campbell
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