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U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Brasher, U.S. District Court, Middle District of Alabama
A Montgomery federal court judge was elevated to a seat on a federal appeals court Tuesday after the U.S. Senate voted along party lines confirming Judge Andrew Brasher to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Brasher, who quickly rose up the ranks from Alabama’s solicitor general to a federal judgeship, was confirmed in a 52-43 vote in the Senate. His nomination faced criticism from the Alabama NAACP and other groups, who contended that he would be unfair to African Americans after he supported gutting key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Brasher, who was nominated by President Trump for the post in November, was rated qualified by the American Bar Association.
Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., applauded his colleagues for confirming Brasher.
“I believe Judge Brasher has served with impartiality, integrity, and purpose as a district judge, and I am confident he will continue to do so in this new capacity,” the senator said in a statement. “I commend President Trump on his decision to nominate Judge Brasher to the Eleventh Circuit and know that his dedication to justice will contribute to the respected standards of our nation’s judicial system.”
Shelby’s Democratic counterpart, Sen. Doug Jones, voted against confirming Brasher.
“Sen. Jones did not support his nomination to the district court and has not seen any new information that would change his position," a Jones spokeswoman told AL.com. "That being said, Judge Brasher currently serves on the bench and Senator Jones wishes him well going forward.”
With Brasher’s confirmation to the 11th Circuit – which has jurisdiction over federal appeals cases in Alabama, Georgia and Florida --, Trump has appointed half of the active judges on the circuit, according to Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law and an expert on federal judicial nominees.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, who worked with Brasher for part of Brasher’s tenure as solicitor general, called the confirmation a “victory for the rule of law.”
“Judge Brasher’s deep record of public service, combined with his impeccable legal credentials, more than qualify him for a seat on the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals,” Marshall said in a statement. “I am especially proud of his contributions as solicitor general for the state of Alabama, where he successfully argued cases before the Alabama Supreme Court, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Without a doubt, Judge Brasher will bring a renewed focus to upholding the law as he assumes his new position on the federal appeals court.”
