Education
University of Tennessee.
University of Tennessee.
Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Higgins received an Associate of Arts from Christian Brothers College in 1952 and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tennessee in 1954. He received an Bachelor of Laws from Vanderbilt University Law School in 1957. He was in the United States Army, Judge Advocate General Corps from 1957 to 1960.
He was in private practice in Nashville, Tennessee from 1961 to 1984.
Higgins was a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. Higgins was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on September 6, 1984, to a seat vacated by L. Clure Morton.
He was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 3, 1984, and received his commission on October 4, 1984. He assumed senior status on February 28, 1999 and retired in 2006.