# United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

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:
* Middle District of Alabama
* Northern District of Alabama
* Southern District of Alabama
* Middle District of Florida
* Northern District of Florida
* Southern District of Florida
* Middle District of Georgia
* Northern District of Georgia
* Southern District of Georgia
These districts were originally part of the Fifth Circuit, but were split off to form the Eleventh Circuit on October 1, 1981. For this reason, Fifth Circuit decisions from before this split are considered binding precedent in the Eleventh Circuit.
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 13 United States courts of appeals.

## Current composition of the court

As of January 3, 2025:
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Term of service | Term of service | Term of service | Appointed by |
| # | Title | Judge | Duty station | Born | Active | Chief | Senior | Appointed by |
| 29 | Chief Judge | William H. Pryor Jr. | Birmingham, AL | 1962 | 2004–present | 2020–present | — | G.W. Bush |
| 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 |
| 42 | Circuit Judge | Embry Kidd | Orlando, FL | 1983 | 2025–present | — | — | Biden |
| 9 | Senior Circuit Judge | Gerald Bard Tjoflat | Jacksonville, FL | 1929 | 1981–2019 | 1989–1996 | 2019–present | Ford / Operation of law |
| 15 | Senior Circuit Judge | R. Lanier Anderson III | Macon, GA | 1936 | 1981–2009 | 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 |
| 28 | Senior Circuit Judge | Charles R. Wilson | Tampa, FL | 1954 | 1999–2024 | — | 2024–present | Clinton |
| 33 | Senior Circuit Judge | Julie E. Carnes | Atlanta, GA | 1950 | 2014–2018 | — | 2018–present | Obama |

## 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 | Truman / Operation of law | death |
| 2 | Elbert Tuttle | GA | 1897–1996 | — | — | 1981–1996 | Eisenhower / Operation of law | death |
| 3 | Warren Leroy Jones | FL | 1895–1993 | — | — | 1981–1993 | Eisenhower / Operation of law | death |
| 4 | John Cooper Godbold | AL | 1920–2009 | 1981–1987 | 1981–1986 | 1987–2009 | L. Johnson / Operation of law | death |
| 5 | David William Dyer | FL | 1910–1998 | — | — | 1981–1998 | L. Johnson / Operation of law | death |
| 6 | John Milton Bryan Simpson | FL | 1903–1987 | — | — | 1981–1987 | L. Johnson / Operation of law | death |
| 7 | Lewis Render Morgan | GA | 1913–2001 | — | — | 1981–2001 | L. Johnson / Operation of law | death |
| 8 | Paul Hitch Roney | FL | 1921–2006 | 1981–1989 | 1986–1989 | 1989–2006 | Nixon / Operation of law | death |
| 10 | James Clinkscales Hill | FL | 1924–2017 | 1981–1989 | — | 1989–2017 | Ford / Operation of law | death |
| 11 | Peter T. Fay | FL | 1929–2021 | 1981–1994 | — | 1994–2021 | Ford / Operation of law | death |
| 12 | Robert Smith Vance | AL | 1931–1989 | 1981–1989 | — | — | Carter / Operation of law | death |
| 13 | Phyllis A. Kravitch | GA | 1920–2017 | 1981–1996 | — | 1996–2017 | Carter / Operation of law | death |
| 14 | Frank Minis Johnson | AL | 1918–1999 | 1981–1991 | — | 1991–1999 | Carter / Operation of law | death |
| 16 | Joseph W. Hatchett | FL | 1932–2021 | 1981–1999 | 1996–1999 | — | Carter / Operation of law | retirement |
| 17 | Albert John Henderson | GA | 1920–1999 | 1981–1986 | — | 1986–1999 | Carter / Operation of law | death |
| 18 | Thomas Alonzo Clark | FL | 1920–2005 | 1981–1991 | — | 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.
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 but vacate their seats, thus allowing the U.S. President to appoint new judges to fill their seats.
Seat 1 :
| Established on May 31, 1938 as a seat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by 52 Stat. 584 ||||
| Reassigned on October 1, 1981 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit by 94 Stat. 1994 ||||
| Godbold | AL | 1981–1987 |
| Cox | AL | 1988–2000 |
| W. Pryor, Jr. | AL | 2004–present |
Seat 2 :
| Established on June 18, 1968 as a seat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by 82 Stat. 184 ||||
| Reassigned on October 1, 1981 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit by 94 Stat. 1994 ||||
| Roney | FL | 1981–1989 |
| Barkett | FL | 1994–2013 |
| Rosenbaum | FL | 2014–present |
Seat 3 :
| 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 |
Seat 4 :
| Established on May 19, 1961 as a seat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by 75 Stat. 80 ||||
| Reassigned on October 1, 1981 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit by 94 Stat. 1994 ||||
| Hill | GA | 1981–1989 |
| Birch, Jr. | GA | 1990–2010 |
| J. Pryor | GA | 2014–present |
Seat 5 :
| Established on December 14, 1942 as a seat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by 56 Stat. 1050 ||||
| Reassigned on October 1, 1981 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit by 94 Stat. 1994 ||||
| Fay | FL | 1981–1994 |
| Marcus | FL | 1997–2019 |
| Lagoa | FL | 2019–present |
Seat 6 :
| Established on May 19, 1961 as a seat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by 75 Stat. 80 ||||
| Reassigned on October 1, 1981 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit by 94 Stat. 1994 ||||
| Vance | AL | 1981–1989 |
| Dubina | AL | 1990–2013 |
| Newsom | AL | 2017–present |
Seat 7 :
| Established on February 10, 1954 as a seat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by 68 Stat. 8 ||||
| Reassigned on October 1, 1981 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit by 94 Stat. 1994 ||||
| Kravitch | GA | 1981–1996 |
| Hull | GA | 1997–2017 |
| Branch | GA | 2018–present |
Seat 8 :
| Established on October 20, 1978 as a seat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Reassigned on October 1, 1981 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit by 94 Stat. 1994 ||||
| Johnson | AL | 1981–1991 |
| E. Carnes | AL | 1992–2020 |
| Brasher | AL | 2020–present |
Seat 9 :
| Established on October 20, 1978 as a seat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Reassigned on October 1, 1981 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit by 94 Stat. 1994 ||||
| Anderson | GA | 1981–2009 |
| Martin | GA | 2010–2021 |
| Abudu | GA | 2023–present |
Seat 10 :
| Established on October 20, 1978 as a seat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Reassigned on October 1, 1981 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit by 94 Stat. 1994 ||||
| Henderson | GA | 1981–1986 |
| Edmondson | GA | 1986–2012 |
| J. Carnes | GA | 2014–2018 |
| Grant | GA | 2018–present |
Seat 11 :
| Established on October 20, 1978 as a seat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Reassigned on October 1, 1981 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit by 94 Stat. 1994 ||||
| Hatchett | FL | 1981–1999 |
| Wilson | FL | 1999–2024 |
| Kidd | FL | 2025–present |
Seat 12 :
| Established on October 20, 1978 as a seat of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by 92 Stat. 1629 ||||
| Reassigned on October 1, 1981 to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit by 94 Stat. 1994 ||||
| Clark | FL | 1981–1991 |
| Black | FL | 1992–2011 |
| Jordan | FL | 2012–present |