United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
(11th Cir.)
LocationElbert P. Tuttle U.S. Court of Appeals Building
(Atlanta, Georgia)
Appeals from
EstablishedOctober 1, 1981
Judges12
Circuit JusticeClarence Thomas
Chief JudgeWilliam H. Pryor Jr.
ca11.uscourts.gov

The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (in case citations, 11th Cir.) is a federal appellate court 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 May 26, 2023:

# 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[a] 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 Nancy Abudu Atlanta, GA 1974 2023–present — — Biden
9 Senior Circuit Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat Jacksonville, FL 1929 1981–2019[b] 1989–1996 2019–present Ford / Operation of law
15 Senior Circuit Judge R. Lanier Anderson III Macon, GA 1936 1981–2009[b] 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


Vacancies and pending nominations

Seat Prior judge's duty station Seat last held by Vacancy reason Date of vacancy Nominee Date of nomination
11 Tampa, FL Charles R. Wilson Senior status December 31, 2024[4] – –

List of former judges

# Judge State Born–died Active service Chief Judge Senior status Appointed by Reason for
termination
1 Richard Rives AL 1895–1982 — — 1981–1982[b] Truman / Operation of law death
2 Elbert Tuttle GA 1897–1996 — — 1981–1996[b] Eisenhower / Operation of law death
3 Warren Leroy Jones FL 1895–1993 — — 1981–1993[b] Eisenhower / Operation of law death
4 John Cooper Godbold AL 1920–2009 1981–1987[b] 1981–1986 1987–2009 L. Johnson / Operation of law death
5 David William Dyer FL 1910–1998 — — 1981–1998[b] L. Johnson / Operation of law death
6 John Milton Bryan Simpson FL 1903–1987 — — 1981–1987[b] L. Johnson / Operation of law death
7 Lewis Render Morgan GA 1913–2001 — — 1981–2001[b] L. Johnson / Operation of law death
8 Paul Hitch Roney FL 1921–2006 1981–1989[b] 1986–1989 1989–2006 Nixon / Operation of law death
10 James Clinkscales Hill FL 1924–2017 1981–1989[b] — 1989–2017 Ford / Operation of law death
11 Peter T. Fay FL 1929–2021 1981–1994[b] — 1994–2021 Ford / Operation of law death
12 Robert Smith Vance AL 1931–1989 1981–1989[b] — — Carter / Operation of law death
13 Phyllis A. Kravitch GA 1920–2017 1981–1996[b] — 1996–2017 Carter / Operation of law death
14 Frank Minis Johnson AL 1918–1999 1981–1991[b] — 1991–1999 Carter / Operation of law death
16 Joseph W. Hatchett FL 1932–2021 1981–1999[b] 1996–1999 — Carter / Operation of law retirement
17 Albert John Henderson GA 1920–1999 1981–1986[b] — 1986–1999 Carter / Operation of law death
18 Thomas Alonzo Clark FL 1920–2005 1981–1991[b] — 1991–2005 Carter / Operation of law death
20 Emmett Ripley Cox AL 1935–2021 1988–2000 — 2000–2021 Reagan death
21 Stanley F. Birch Jr. GA 1945–present 1990–2010 — — G.H.W. Bush retirement
25 Rosemary Barkett FL 1939–present 1994–2013 — — Clinton retirement
30 Beverly B. Martin GA 1955–present 2010–2021 — — Obama retirement

Chief judges

Chief Judge
Godbold 1981–1986
Roney 1986–1989
Tjoflat 1989–1996
Hatchett 1996–1999
Anderson 1999–2002
Edmondson 2002–2009
Dubina 2009–2013
E. Carnes 2013–2020
W. Pryor, Jr. 2020–present

Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their circuits, and preside over any panel on which they serve, unless the circuit justice (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, with seniority determined first by commission date, then by age. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. If no judge qualifies to be chief, the youngest judge over the age of 65 who has served on the court for at least one year shall act as chief until another judge qualifies. If no judge has served on the court for more than a year, the most senior judge shall act as chief. Judges can forfeit or resign their chief judgeship or acting chief judgeship while retaining their active status as a circuit judge.[5]

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.[6]


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 but vacate their seats, thus allowing the U.S. President to appoint new judges to fill their seats.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Recess appointment; formally nominated on April 9, 2003, given a recess appointment on February 20, 2004, confirmed by the United States Senate on June 9, 2005, and received commission on June 10, 2005
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Reassigned from the 5th Circuit.

References

Citations

  1. ^ Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Reorganization Act of 1980, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 96–452, 94 Stat. 1994, enacted October 14, 1980
  2. ^ Bonner v. City of Prichard, 661 F.2d 1206 (11th Cir. 1981).
  3. ^ Stein v. Reynolds Secs., Inc., 667 F.2d 33 (11th Cir. 1982).
  4. ^ Raymond, Nate (January 23, 2024). "11th Circuit's Wilson to take senior status, creating vacancy". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  5. ^ 28 U.S.C. § 45
  6. ^ 62 Stat. 871, 72 Stat. 497, 96 Stat. 51

Sources

External links

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