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Obama Nominates Jill Pryor for the Eleventh Circuit

By Robyn Hagan Cain on February 17, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

It’s been a busy week for the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. After an attempted filibuster, the Senate confirmed Judge Adalberto Jordán for a seat on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday.

Thursday, President Obama followed up Judge Jordán's confirmation with a new Eleventh Circuit nominee, Atlanta Attorney Jill Pryor. If confirmed, Pryor would fill Judge Stanley Burch's spot on the Atlanta-based appellate court, which has been vacant since August 2010.

President Obama announced in a statement, "Jill A. Pryor has displayed exceptional dedication to the legal profession through her work and I am honored to nominate her to serve the American people as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals. She will be a diligent, judicious and esteemed addition to the Eleventh Circuit bench."

Pryor was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the College of William & Mary (BA, '85), before attending Yale Law School (JD, '88).

The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals is a bit of a homecoming for Pryor. She clerked on the circuit for Judge J.L. Edmonson before joining Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore as an associate in 1989; she became a partner at the firm in 1997.

Pryor is something of an anomaly among Obama's appellate nominees because she doesn't have practice experience in the public sector or teaching experience. She makes up for it, however, with a stellar private practice record. Pryor represents both plaintiffs and defendants in the areas of business torts, corporate governance and shareholder disputes, class actions, trade secrets, intellectual property, fraud, and the Georgia and federal RICO laws.

Georgia Senators Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson indicated to the White House last month that they would not block Jill Pryor's nomination to the bench, though they preferred Troutman Sanders partner Mark Cohen for the position. Neither of the Senators has commented on the nomination, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

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