Beverly Baldwin Martin (born August 7, 1955) is a former

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (in case citations, 11th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following U.S. district courts: * Middle District of Alabama * Northern District of Alabama * ...

and a former United States District Judge of the

United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia The United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia (in case citations, N.D. Ga.) is a United States district court which serves the residents of forty-six counties. These are divided up into four divisions. Appeals from cases ...

Early life and education

Born in Macon,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, Martin graduated from Stratford Academy in 1973 before attending

Mercer University Mercer University is a private research university with its main campus in Macon, Georgia. Founded in 1833 as Mercer Institute and gaining university status in 1837, it is the oldest private university in the state and enrolls more than 9,000 s ...

for one year from 1972 to 1973. She subsequently transferred to

Stetson University Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I–4 corridor in Central Florida with the primary undergraduate campus in DeLand. The university was founded in 1883 and was later established in 1887 ...

and received a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree in 1976. She earned a Juris Doctor from

University of Georgia School of Law The University of Georgia School of Law (Georgia Law) is the law school of the University of Georgia, a public research university in Athens, Georgia. It was founded in 1859, making it among the oldest American university law schools in continuous ...

in 1981.

Professional career

Martin was in private practice with the firm of Martin Snow, LLP in

from 1981 to 1984, and was also an assistant attorney general in the State Law Department of the Office of

Attorney General of Georgia The Attorney General of Georgia is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the U.S. state of Georgia. The officeholder is elected to a four-year term at the same time as elections are held for Governor of Georgia and other offices. The ...

from 1984 to 1994. She was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia from 1994 to 1997 and United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia from 1997 to 2000.

Federal judicial service

Northern District of Georgia

On the recommendation of Senator

Max Cleland Joseph Maxwell Cleland (August 24, 1942 – November 9, 2021) was an American politician from Georgia. A member of the Democratic Party, he was a disabled U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, a recipient of the Silver Star and the Bronze Star ...

, Martin was nominated on March 27, 2000, by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

to a seat on the

vacated by George Ernest Tidwell. She was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on June 16, 2000, and received her commission on August 3, 2000. Her service terminated on February 1, 2010, due to elevation to the Eleventh Circuit.

United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

On June 19, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Martin to a seat on the

. The United States Senate confirmed Martin's nomination in a 97–0 vote on January 20, 2010. She received her commission on January 28, 2010. In November 2020, Martin dissented when the majority found that a municipality’s ban on minor

conversion therapy Conversion therapy is the pseudoscientific practice of attempting to change an individual's sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression to align with heterosexual and cisgender norms. In contrast to evidence-based medicine and cl ...

violated the

First Amendment to the United States Constitution The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prevents the government from making laws that regulate an establishment of religion, or that prohibit the free exercise of religion, or abridge the freedom of speech, the ...

. She retired from active service on September 30, 2021. On October 4, 2021, Martin became the executive director at the

New York University School of Law New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it is the oldest law school in New York City and the oldest surviving law school in N ...

's Center on Civil Justice.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Beverly Baldwin 1955 births Living people 20th-century American judges 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American women judges 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges Assistant United States Attorneys Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia People from Macon, Georgia Stetson University alumni United States Attorneys for the Middle District of Georgia United States court of appeals judges appointed by Barack Obama United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton University of Georgia alumni