Embry Kidd confirmed to 11th Circuit Court of Appeals

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Embry Kidd to serve as a Judge in the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, the second lame-duck confirmation in the waning days of the Joe Biden administration.

Embry, who has deep ties to Florida, will serve in the district covering Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Court locations include Jacksonville, Miami, Atlanta and Montgomery, Alabama.

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor applauded the appointment and confirmation.

“Judge Embry Kidd has served Florida and our nation with an unwavering commitment to justice and fairness,” Castor said. “From his time as a highly respected federal prosecutor to his service as a magistrate judge from central Florida, he has earned a stellar reputation for his intellect, fairness and dedication to the law. His confirmation to the Eleventh Circuit is a win for the rule of law and for all those who seek justice in our courts.”

Kidd, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, served as a magistrate Judge in the Middle District of Florida and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. He is the first judicial pick from the Biden administration to be confirmed since the 2024 election, in which Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris.

Forty Judges have served the 11th Circuit, but only three have been Black, despite rulings in the district impacting a potential 9 million Black individuals across the Southeast.

In 1979, Judge Joseph Hatchett became the first Black Judge to serve the district.

Kidd is only the second Black man confirmed to a federal appeals court in the past decade.

Kidd earned his undergraduate degree from Emory University and his law degree from Yale Law School. He will replace Charles Wilson, a Bill Clinton appointee.

Kidd is the second judicial confirmation since the lame-duck session began last week. Democrats are hopeful the Senate will confirm as many Biden appointees as possible before he leaves office in January.

However, President-elect Trump has asked Republicans in the Senate to block appointments.

During his first term, Trump appointed more than 200 Judges to federal benches, including nearly as many federal appeals court Judges in his four years as former President Barack Obama appointed in eight years, according to Pew Research.