Current United States federal appellate court
The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (in case citations, 11th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following U.S. district courts:
These districts were originally part of the Fifth Circuit, but were split off to form the Eleventh Circuit on October 1, 1981.[1] For this reason, Fifth Circuit decisions from before this split are considered binding precedent in the Eleventh Circuit.[2][3]
The court is based at the Elbert P. Tuttle U.S. Court of Appeals Building in Atlanta, Georgia. The building is named for Elbert Tuttle, who served as Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit in the 1960s and was known for issuing decisions which advanced the civil rights of African-Americans.
The Eleventh Circuit is one of the thirteen United States courts of appeals.
Current composition of the court
As of September 30, 2021[update]:
#
|
Title
|
Judge
|
Duty station
|
Born
|
Term of service
|
Appointed by
|
Active
|
Chief
|
Senior
|
29
|
Chief Judge
|
William H. Pryor Jr.
|
Birmingham, AL
|
1962
|
2004–present[Note 1]
|
2020–present
|
—
|
G.W. Bush
|
28
|
Circuit Judge
|
Charles R. Wilson
|
Tampa, FL
|
1954
|
1999–present
|
—
|
—
|
Clinton
|
31
|
Circuit Judge
|
Adalberto Jordan
|
Miami, FL
|
1961
|
2012–present
|
—
|
—
|
Obama
|
32
|
Circuit Judge
|
Robin S. Rosenbaum
|
Fort Lauderdale, FL
|
1966
|
2014–present
|
—
|
—
|
Obama
|
34
|
Circuit Judge
|
Jill A. Pryor
|
Atlanta, GA
|
1963
|
2014–present
|
—
|
—
|
Obama
|
35
|
Circuit Judge
|
Kevin Newsom
|
Birmingham, AL
|
1972
|
2017–present
|
—
|
—
|
Trump
|
36
|
Circuit Judge
|
Elizabeth L. Branch
|
Atlanta, GA
|
1968
|
2018–present
|
—
|
—
|
Trump
|
37
|
Circuit Judge
|
Britt Grant
|
Atlanta, GA
|
1978
|
2018–present
|
—
|
—
|
Trump
|
38
|
Circuit Judge
|
Robert J. Luck
|
Tallahassee, FL
|
1979
|
2019–present
|
—
|
—
|
Trump
|
39
|
Circuit Judge
|
Barbara Lagoa
|
Miami, FL
|
1967
|
2019–present
|
—
|
—
|
Trump
|
40
|
Circuit Judge
|
Andrew L. Brasher
|
Birmingham, AL
|
1981
|
2020–present
|
—
|
—
|
Trump
|
41
|
Circuit Judge
|
vacant
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
9
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Gerald Bard Tjoflat
|
Jacksonville, FL
|
1929
|
1981–2019[Note 2]
|
1989–1996
|
2019–present
|
Ford / Operation of law
|
15
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
R. Lanier Anderson III
|
Macon, GA
|
1936
|
1981–2009[Note 2]
|
1999–2002
|
2009–present
|
Carter / Operation of law
|
19
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
James Larry Edmondson
|
Jasper, GA
|
1947
|
1986–2012
|
2002–2009
|
2012–present
|
Reagan
|
22
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Joel Fredrick Dubina
|
Montgomery, AL
|
1947
|
1990–2013
|
2009–2013
|
2013–present
|
G.H.W. Bush
|
23
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Susan H. Black
|
Jacksonville, FL
|
1943
|
1992–2011
|
—
|
2011–present
|
G.H.W. Bush
|
24
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Edward Earl Carnes
|
Montgomery, AL
|
1950
|
1992–2020
|
2013–2020
|
2020–present
|
G.H.W. Bush
|
26
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Frank M. Hull
|
Atlanta, GA
|
1948
|
1997–2017
|
—
|
2017–present
|
Clinton
|
27
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Stanley Marcus
|
West Palm Beach, FL
|
1946
|
1997–2019
|
—
|
2019–present
|
Clinton
|
33
|
Senior Circuit Judge
|
Julie E. Carnes
|
Atlanta, GA
|
1950
|
2014–2018
|
—
|
2018–present
|
Obama
|
Chief judges
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their circuits, and preside over any panel on which they serve unless the circuit justice (i.e., the Supreme Court justice responsible for the circuit) is also on the panel. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the circuit judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge. A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire on what has since 1958 been known as senior status or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
Succession of seats
The court has twelve seats for active judges, numbered in the order in which they were initially filled. Judges who assume senior status enter a kind of retirement in which they remain on the bench, while vacating their seats, thus allowing the U.S. President to appoint new judges to fill their seats.
|
Seat 6
|
Established on March 18, 1966 as a temporary seat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by 80 Stat. 75
|
Made permanent on June 18, 1968 by 82 Stat. 184
|
Reassigned on October 1, 1981 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit by 94 Stat. 1994
|
Tjoflat |
FL |
1981–2019
|
Luck |
FL |
2019–present
|
|
|
|