Posted by Judge Beverly Martin retired four months ago. The Eleventh Circuit bench has since been down a judge. But the roster may soon be back to full strength.
President Biden has nominated Nancy G. Abudu to fill the vacant seat. Ms. Abudu is the strategic litigation director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and was once the legal director of the ACLU of Florida. If confirmed, she will be the first African-American woman to sit on the Eleventh Circuit.
Ms. Abudu is Biden’s first nominee to our appeals court. In contrast, President Trump filled six seats (yes, six) on the 12-seat court. The rest of the full-time bench includes nominees by Presidents Clinton (one), George W. Bush (one), and Obama (three). For those of you counting at home, this means that since Judge Martin left in September, the Trump cohort has made up a majority of the court. And that will remain true until Ms. Abudu’s confirmation.
The Blue Notes 