Beverly Martin, President Barack Obama’s nominee for the federal appeals court, is a fourth-generation lawyer who has authored a number of notable rulings as a U.S. District Court judge in Atlanta.
She penned a blistering dissent in an excessive-use-of-force case and declared a mandatory 30-year prison sentence unconstitutional on grounds it was cruel and unusual punishment.
Lawyers who appear before Martin say she has a fierce determination to do what she thinks is right and say she has a quality Obama says he wants in his judicial nominees: empathy. The Senate will vote on her confirmation Jan. 20
In Wednesday's AJC, we'll tell you Martin's story and how she doesn't flinch in the face of controversy.
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