Profiles of the 11th Circuit Court
Source: Atlanta Constitution
Published: Nov. 16, 2000 Author: Bill Rankin
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta is considered by legal scholars a moderate to conservative court. Seven of its judges were appointed by Republican Presidents and five by Democrats.
"It's a pretty balanced and thoughtful court," said Howard Hunter, dean of Emory University law school. "I don't think who they were appointed by will have any effect on how they individually will deal with this case."
One of the nation's busiest and most efficient courts, the 11th Circuit was in the news earlier this year when it heard the immigration case involving Elian Gonzalez.
Members profiles:
R. Lanier Anderson III, chief judge - 64, Macon, GA. Appointed in 1979 by Jimmy Carter. Reserved and unassuming. he often speaks his mind from the bench. In 1997, he wrote a decision upholding Georgia's moment of quiet reflection, which starts every school day.
Gerald Tjoflat, - 71, Jacksonville, FL. Appointed in 1975 by Gerald Ford. A former trial judge, Tjoflat has a commanding presence and is regarded as a no-nonsense jurist. Considered a moderate conservative.
J.L. Edmondson, - 53, Atlanta, GA. Appointed in 1986 by Ronald Reagan. Perhaps the court's most conservative jurist and one of the most influential. Often seems to play a major role in deciding the court's most noteworthy cases. The former school board attorney and University of Georgia law school professor was Gwinnett County (Georgia) chairman of the Reagan - Bush campaign in 1984.
Emmett Cox, - 65, Mobile, AL. Appointed in 1988 by Ronald Reagan. A conservative member of the court, the former U.S. District Court judge once played an active role in Alabama GOP politics.
Stanley Birch, - 55, Atlanta, GA. Appointed in 1990 by George Bush. Before his appointment, Birch gained fame in legal circles by protecting the copyright of Cabbage Patch dolls. Considered a moderate jurist, Birch sometime breaks ranks with his fellow Republican-appointed colleagues. Once co-chaired the Hall County (Georgia) Republican Party.
Joel Dubina, - 53, Montgomery, AL. Appointed in 1990 by George Bush. Regarded as a conservative law and order judge, Dubina was in private practice when Reagan appointed him in 1986 to a U.S. district court judgeship.
Susan Black, - 57, Jacksonville, FL. Appointed in 1992 by George Bush. Former high school teacher, Black once worked for the Florida attorney general's office and served as a state court trial judge. In 1979 Jimmy Carter appointed her to the U.S. District Court bench.
Ed Carnes, - 50, Montgomery, AL. Appointed in 1992 by George Bush. Carnes' senate confirmation to the 11th Circuit was highly contraversial. Opponents claimed he turned a blind eye to racial discrimination while serving as assistant attorney general in Alabama. On the court, Carnes has the reputation of being solidly conservative and is one of its intellectual leaders.
Rosemary Burkett, - 61, Miami, FL. Appointed in 1994 by Clinton. Born in Mexico to Syrian parents, Burkett is a former nun and the first woman named to be chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court. The most liberal member of the court, Burkett finds herself writing dissents in many of the court's important rulings.
Frank Hull (female) - 51, Atlanta, GA. Appointed in 1997 by Clinton. Considered a conservative jurist, Hull served as law clerk for the late Judge Elbert Tuttle, whose landmark rulings forced integration throughout the south.
Stanley Marcus, - 54 Miami, FL. Appointed in 1997 by Clinton. Former member of the Justice Department's organized crime strike force in Detroit. He served as U.S. Attorney in Miami from 1982 until 1985, when he was appointed to the federal court bench in Miami by Reagan.
Charles Wilson, - 46, Tampa, FL. Appointed in 1997 by Clinton, Wilson, the court's only African-American was U.S. Attorney in Tampa when Clinto appointed him to the appellate bench. Considered a moderate, Wilson has expressed his admiration for the late U.S. Supreme Court justice Lewis Powell, a renowned centrist. |
