Bill naming federal courthouse after Todd passes in House

Jackson, Tennessee, and one of its more notable names in federal law, James Todd, were discussed on C-SPAN on Tuesday when Congressman David Kustoff, representative for Tennessee’s Eighth District, addressed the House of Representatives discussing both Jackson and Todd.

That’s because Kustoff was spoke on the floor to urge the body to vote for a bill naming the federal courthouse at 111 South Highland Avenue in Downtown Jackson after Todd.

The Senate version of the bill passed on that side of Congress on Nov. 30.

“I tell you, the legacy that Judge Todd has because of 36 years serving on the federal bench merits an honor like having the courthouse that he served in named after him,” Kustoff said in a phone interview after the vote. “I was honored to be able to push this through, and I’m thrilled that my colleagues in the House voted to pass the bill.”

While both houses of Congress have approved the bill, the naming isn’t a done deal yet.

One more step in the process remains as it needs a signature from President Joe Biden.

“I can’t really tell you how long that will take because it just depends on how many other bills are sitting in front of the President awaiting his reading and signature,” Kustoff said.

Todd was appointed judge for the U.S. District Court for Western Tennessee in 1985 and was named Chief Judge in 2001. He became Senior Judge in 2008, where he served until retiring last year.

It was three months after his retirement that Kustoff first introduced the bill into the House just before the end of the 2021 legislative session.

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news