[1] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wayne State University in 1963 and a Juris Doctor from Wayne State University Law School in 1965.

He was a law clerk to John Fitzgerald, Louis McGregor, and Timothy Quinn of the Michigan Court of Appeals in 1967.

[2] On September 24, 1997, Tarnow was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan vacated by Julian A. Cook.

Tarnow was confirmed by the United States Senate on May 13, 1998, and received his commission on May 22, 1998.

[2][A] Tarnow died from heart disease at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit on January 21, 2022, at the age of 79.