Judge Birch to retire from appeals court in August

By Bill Rankin

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Judge Stanley Birch will retire from the federal appeals court in August to join a private mediation and arbitration firm, the Atlanta judge said Monday.

"I've loved every minute of this job," said Birch, who will step down in late August after his 65th birthday. "It's been fun to come into work and learn what knot needs to be untied that day, to advance the cause of justice and reach a resolution in a just way."

Birch, put on the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by President George H.W. Bush in June 1990, will join JAMS Inc. The firm was founded in 1979 and bills itself as the world's largest private alternative dispute resolution provider. Birch said he also will volunteer to serve as a special master overseeing federal court cases.

Birch's retirement gives President Barack Obama another opportunity to fill a vacancy on the 12-judge appeals court, which oversees appeals from Georgia, Alabama and Florida. He already has nominated U.S. District Judge Beverly Martin to the 11th Circuit. The Senate has scheduled a vote on her nomination for Jan. 20.