He was born in Nashville, Tennessee and attended Father Ryan High School.

He received an Associate of Arts degree from Christian Brothers College in 1952 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee in 1954.

He was in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from 1957 to 1960, where he attained the rank of first lieutenant.

[2] Higgins was nominated by President Ronald Reagan on September 6, 1984, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee vacated by Judge Leland Clure Morton.

He retired into inactive senior status in 2006, meaning that while he remained a federal judge, he no longer heard cases or participated in the business of the court.