John Lawrence Carroll[1] was a native of Washington, D.C., born there on October 19, 1943,[2] into a Catholic family of Irish descent.

[3] After leaving the Marine Corps, Carroll briefly worked as a furniture salesman, during which he went across the country and found a calling for law after visiting housing projects in Chicago.

[6] He also applied for a staff position at the Southern Poverty Law Center, and worked his first case with the SPLC representing an African-American former Marine sergeant accused of a double murder; he and his co-workers were nearly "run off the road" by local residents who were angry that the defendant did not receive the death penalty.

[3] Carroll mainly worked with the SPLC on civil rights class-action lawsuits,[5] as well as cases like Pugh v. Locke, which challenged Alabama's treatment of imprisoned people.

[9] In 2001, Carroll retired as U.S. magistrate to accept a nomination as dean of the Cumberland School of Law, his alma mater.

[4] During his time as dean, the Cumberland School of Law improved its trial advocacy program, which became ranked fourth nationally in 2012.

[12] Carroll also cited strong alumni participation, teaching practical legal skills and outreach efforts as accomplishments he was proud of during his tenure.

[4] As a professor, he taught courses at Cumberland relating to legal mediation, evidence, trial practice, ethics and professionalism, and e-discovery.

[8] Rosa Davis, an attorney for the Judicial Inquiry Commission, dismissed Staver's complaint, saying that Carroll had "quite a resume" since his time with the SPLC over 32 years prior.