Judge Gerald B. Tjoflat, the longest-serving federal judge in active service, has announced his intention to take senior status. Judge Tjoflat was appointed to the federal bench by President Nixon and to the then-Fifth Circuit by President Ford. In 1995, the Duke Law Journal published this tribute to Judge Tjoflat by Chief Justice Rehnquist, among…
Category: Court News
SCOTUS Business Cases This Term (Part 2 – Arbitration)
The Court has several arbitration-related cases before it this term. Lamps Plus, Inc. v. Varela concerns whether the FAA permits a state-law interpretation of an arbitration agreement that finds a contractual basis for class arbitration without class arbitration’s being specifically mentioned. New Prime, Inc. v. Oliveira involves the FAA’s exception for “contracts of employment of seamen, railroad…
SCOTUS Business Cases This Term (Part 1 – Class Actions)
The Supreme Court’s October term is underway, and the Court has before it several class-action cases. Frank v. Gaos concerns the permissibility of cy pres relief in class action settlements; Home Depot v. Jackson the ability of a defendant in the original action to remove the action under CAFA; and Nutraceutical Corp. v. Lambert the availability of equitable exceptions to…
Survey of 2017 Eleventh Circuit Decisions Published
The Mercer Law Review recently published its annual survey of noteworthy Eleventh Circuit decisions. The Class Actions article, authored by our own Tom Byrne and Stacey Mohr, analyzes the court’s 2017 decisions on CAFA jurisdiction, the impact of arbitration agreements on class actions, the preclusive effect of prior actions, class action settlements, and class certification disputes….
Britt Grant Confirmed as Eleventh Circuit Judge
Georgia Supreme Court Justice Britt Grant was confirmed by the U.S. Senate yesterday afternoon to fill the Eleventh Circuit judgeship created when Judge Julie Carnes elected to take senior status. The vote was 52-46. Justice Grant, 40, is not the youngest person to be confirmed for an Eleventh Circuit seat since the court was constituted…
Georgia Supreme Court Justice Britt Grant Nominated to Eleventh Circuit
The White House announced yesterday the nomination of Georgia Supreme Court Justice Britt Grant to fill the seat on the Eleventh Circuit opened by the pending retirement of Judge Julie Carnes. Justice Grant has served on the Supreme Court for a year and three months. She was appointed to the Court by Governor Nathan Deal…
Judge Julie Carnes to take Senior Status, Opening Seat on Eleventh Circuit
After serving as an active federal judge for more than a quarter-century, Eleventh Circuit Judge Julie Carnes announced last week that she will take senior status effective June 18, 2018. Judge Carnes has spent her entire career in public service. Following graduation from the University of Georgia Law School in 1975, Judge Carnes clerked for…
Judge Branch Confirmed to Court
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Elizabeth “Lisa” Branch to sit on the Eleventh Circuit, with a vote of 73 to 23. Judge Branch was nominated to the court by President Trump in September 2017, and has served on the Georgia Court of Appeals since 2012. Posted by Stacey Mohr.
Branch Nominated to Court
The White House today announced that the nomination of Georgia Court of Appeals Judge Elizabeth “Lisa” Branch has been sent to the Senate for confirmation. Judge Branch has served on the Georgia Court of Appeals since 2012. Posted by Tom Byrne
Supreme Court Scorecard: Looking Back at the 2016 Term and Forward to October
After a tough record in 2015, the Eleventh Circuit batted .400 last term at the U.S. Supreme Court. In the Court’s five merits decisions on appeal from the Eleventh Circuit, two judgments were affirmed, two were reversed, and one was vacated. The two affirmances were both in criminal cases with majority opinions by Justice Thomas….