Adalberto Jordan

Adalberto Jordan
Jordan in 2015
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office February 17, 2012
Appointed by	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Susan H. Black
Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
In office September 9, 1999 – February 24, 2012
Appointed by	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Lenore Carrero Nesbitt
Succeeded by	Robin L. Rosenberg
Personal details
Born	Adalberto Jose Jordan (1961-12-07) December 7, 1961 (age 63) Havana, Cuba
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of Miami (BA, JD)

Adalberto Jose Jordan (born December 7, 1961) is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law, his alma mater, and at Florida International University's College of Law.^[1] In February 2016, The New York Times identified Jordan as a potential Supreme Court nominee to replace Justice Antonin Scalia.^[2] In early March, Jordan removed himself from consideration.^[3]

Early life and education

Jordan was born in Havana, Cuba, and came with his family to Miami, Florida, when he was a young boy, in 1968.

Jordan graduated from St. Brendan High School in 1980.^[4] He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in politics, magna cum laude, from the University of Miami, in 1984.^[5] While an undergraduate at the University of Miami, Jordan was a walk-on member of the baseball team.^[6] Jordan then earned his Juris Doctor summa cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law in 1987, where he was the Articles & Comments Editor for the University of Miami Law Review, graduating second in his law school class.^[7]

Career

Jordan served as a law clerk for Judge Thomas Alonzo Clark of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Atlanta, Georgia, from 1987 to 1988, and for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor of the United States Supreme Court from 1988 to 1989.^[8] In 1989, Jordan returned to Miami to work as an associate for Steel Hector & Davis, a prestigious local law firm that was acquired by Squire, Sanders & Dempsey in 2005. Despite being there a relatively short time, Jordan was named a partner at Steel, Hector & Davis by his fifth year, where he focused on appellate and commercial law.^[9] Shortly after making partner, Jordan made the transition to public-sector lawyering, and became an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida in 1994.^[8] In 1998, he was appointed Chief of the Appellate Division, and served in that position for about one year. Since 1990, he has been an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law.^[8]

Federal judicial service

District court service

On March 15, 1999, President Bill Clinton nominated Jordan to the seat on the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida that had been vacated by Judge Lenore Carrero Nesbitt.^[8] Jordan was confirmed to the federal bench by the United States Senate on September 8, 1999, by a 93–1 vote, with then-Senator Bob Smith of New Hampshire as the lone dissenting vote.^[10] Jordan received his commission on September 9, 1999. His service as a district court judge was terminated on February 24, 2012 when he was elevated to the court of appeals.^[8]

Eleventh Circuit service

In May 2011, the South Florida Daily Business Review reported that Jordan was being vetted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in anticipation of President Obama nominating Jordan to a vacancy on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit created by Judge Susan H. Black, who assumed senior status in February 2011.^[11][8] On August 2, 2011, President Barack Obama nominated Jordan for the judgeship.

On October 13, 2011, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved his nomination by a voice vote.^[12] On February 9, 2012, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid moved to invoke cloture on Jordan's nomination, thereby cutting off debate and ending a Republican filibuster of Jordan's nomination. On February 13, 2012, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by an 89–5 vote.^[13] On February 15, 2012, Jordan was confirmed by a 94–5 vote.^[14] Jordan received his judicial commission on February 17, 2012.^[8]

Notable cases

• In Jones et al. v. DeSantis, a 2020 voting rights case, Jordan wrote a 94-page dissenting opinion.^[15] 2018 Florida Amendment 4 permitted former felons to vote; however, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law that required former felons to pay all legal fees before being eligible to vote again, despite some of them not knowing how much they owed. By a 6–4 vote, the en banc Eleventh Circuit found that the statute did not violate the Equal Protection Clause and was not a poll tax in violation of the Twenty-fourth Amendment.^[16] Jordan concluded his dissent with "Paying hundreds of dollars in fees and costs is an 'onerous' burden to those with limited means, and 70 to 80 percent of Florida felons are indigent. They should not be forced to choose between 'putting food on the table, a roof over their heads, and clothes on their backs,'—or paying fees that Florida uses to fund government operations—in order to exercise the right to vote granted to them by Amendment 4."^[17]

Personal life

Adalberto Jordan is married to Lazara Esther Jordan, née Castillo, a teacher at St. Brendan Catholic High School, of which both are alumni.^[7][18]

See also

• Barack Obama Supreme Court candidates
• Barack Obama judicial appointment controversies
• List of Hispanic and Latino American jurists
• List of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States (Seat 8)

References

1. "Home - Law".
2. Potential Nominees Obama May Consider to Fill Antonin Scalia’s Seat The New York Times, February 14, 2016
3. Manu Raju; Kevin Liptak; Ariane de Vogue (March 9, 2016). "First on CNN: Top name withdraws from Supreme Court consideration". CNN.
4. Belen Jesuit Preparatory School – Close Up Archived May 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
5. William J. Clinton Foundation "President Nominates Fisher and Jordan to the Federal Bench" Archived May 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
6. Weaver, Jay (September 4, 2011). "Miami federal Judge Adalberto Jordan on track for appeals court post". The Miami Herald. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
7. Zamora, JC (April 26, 2017). "11th Circuit Judge Adalberto Jordan Discusses His Remarkable Career and Memories of UM Law Review". University of Miami Law Review. 71 (3). Retrieved May 12, 2017.
8. Adalberto Jordan at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
9. https://www.martindale.com/attorney/honorable-adalberto-jose-jordan-809719/ ^{[bare URL]}
10. "On the Nomination (Confirmation Adalberto Jordan, to be U.S. District Judge)". September 8, 1999.
11. "InsideTrack".
12. "Results of Executive Business Meeting - October 13, 2011" (PDF). Retrieved November 1, 2022.
13. "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Nomination of Adalberto Jose Jordan, of Florida, to be U.S. Circuit Judge)". January 27, 2015.
14. "On the Nomination (Confirmation Adalberto Jose Jordan, of Florida, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit)". January 27, 2015.
15. Jones v. Governor of Florida, 975 F.3d 1016 (11th Cir. 2020).
16. Note, Recent Case: Eleventh Circuit Upholds Statute Limiting Constitutional Amendment on Felon Reenfranchisement, 134 Harv. L. Rev. 2291 (2021).
17. "KELVIN LEON JONES, ROSEMARY MCCOY, et al., PLAINTIFFS-APPELLEES, versus GOVERNOR OF FLORIDA, FLORIDA SECRETARY OF STATE, DEFENDANTS-APPELLANTS" (PDF). Courthouse News. September 11, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
18. St. Brendan Catholic High School Alumni Association: Alumni Awards.

External links

• Adalberto Jordan at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
• Adalberto Jordan at Ballotpedia
• Florida Bar profile

Legal offices
Preceded by Lenore Carrero Nesbitt	Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida 1999–2012	Succeeded by Robin L. Rosenberg
Preceded by Susan H. Black	Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit 2012–present	Incumbent