Senate confirms Martin as federal appeals court judge in Atlanta

By Bill Rankin

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The U.S. Senate on Wednesday unanimously confirmed President Barack Obama's nominee, Beverly Martin, for a seat on the federal appeals court in Atlanta.

Martin, a U.S. District Court judge in Atlanta and former federal prosecutor, joins the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears cases out of Georgia, Alabama and Florida. The busy court is one notch below the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Senate approved Martin's nomination by a vote of 97-0.

"It is humbling that President Obama and his administration thought of me for this job," Martin, 54, said shortly after the vote.

Martin said she has mixed feelings because she has enjoyed her time as a U.S. District Court judge. "But the time has come to go," she said.

Martin expressed thanks to Georgia's two Republican senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson, calling their support critical to her confirmation. Both men spoke in support of Martin on the Senate floor prior to Wednesday's vote.

"The president couldn't have chosen a more qualified individual to sit on the 11th Circuit," Chambliss said. "She is, to put it plainly, a fair and wise judge."

Isakson said he had received glowing reviews about Martin from judges and lawyers across the state. He lauded Martin for having a balanced temperament as well as the tenacity of a former prosecutor.

Martin is a fourth-generation lawyer from Macon. In 1998, President Bill Clinton named her U.S. attorney in Macon and two years after that appointed her as a federal judge in Atlanta.

Martin replaces R. Lanier Anderson, who became a senior judge in February. The 12-member appeals court has seven judges who were appointed by Republican presidents and five by Democratic presidents.

This summer, Obama will get to nominate a successor to Judge Stanley Birch, who was put on the court by President George H.W. Bush. Birch recently said he will retire in late August to join a private alternative dispute resolution firm.