Judge Susan Black of the federal appeals court in Atlanta on Friday notified President Barack Obama she was taking senior status, opening up a second vacancy on the bench.
"I've enjoyed it and will continue to enjoy it," Black said in a telephone interview. "I've been lucky -- very, very lucky."
Black said she will continue to take a full case load until her successor is confirmed by the Senate. "I think it's important for me to continue doing that," she said. "I'm healthy. I love the work."
Black, 67, was appointed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush.
A native of Valdosta and a former high school teacher, Black worked for the Florida attorney general's office and served as a state court trial judge. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the U.S. District Court bench for the Middle District of Florida, where she served until being elevated to the 11th Circuit.
The 11th Circuit has jurisdiction over federal court cases in Georgia, Alabama and Florida. It has 12 judges -- five from Florida, four from Georgia and three from Alabama. Because Black is from Jacksonville, her successor is expected to be from Florida.
The 11th Circuit already had one vacancy. Stanley Birch, of Atlanta, appointed by Bush in 1990, retired from the court last August and entered private practice as an arbitrator and mediator. Obama has yet to submit a nominee to succeed Birch.
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