Bench Memos

Law & the Courts

Eleventh Circuit Summary

The Eleventh Circuit (Alabama, Florida, Georgia) has 12 active judgeships. All of them are filled. Sometime soon, the recently confirmed Embry Kidd will take the seat being vacated by Charles Wilson.

The court has 7 appointees of Republican presidents (GW Bush 1, Trump 6) and five of Democratic presidents (soon to be Obama 3, Biden 2).

No judges on the court are currently eligible to take senior status.

Among appointees of Republican presidents, William Pryor will become senior-eligible in April 2027. His term as chief judge expires in that year.


The only appointee of a Democratic president who will become senior-eligible during Donald Trump’s presidency is Adalberto Jordan, in December 2026.

Ed Whelan holds the Antonin Scalia Chair in Constitutional Studies at the Ethics and Public Policy Center and is a regular contributor to National Review’s Bench Memos blog.
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