Who appointed Joseph Woodrow Hatchett?

President Jimmy Carter appointed Joseph Woodrow Hatchett to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in 1979.

Was Joseph Woodrow Hatchett appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?

Joseph Woodrow Hatchett was appointed by President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.

What was Joseph Woodrow Hatchett's confirmation vote?

Joseph Woodrow Hatchett was confirmed by voice vote on July 12, 1979. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.

Eleventh Circuit / Appointed 1981 / Served to 1999

Joseph Woodrow Hatchett

Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 and confirmed by voice vote, Joseph Woodrow Hatchett was a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He earned a law degree from Howard University School of Law in 1959. He previously served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Sources ↓

Lived: 1932–2021
Appointed by: Jimmy Carter, 1979
Confirmed: by voice vote
Chief judge: Eleventh Circuit, 1996 to 1999
Education: Florida A&M 1954 · Howard Law 1959
Succeeded by: Charles R. Wilson

Federal judicial service

Year	Court	Appointed by	Vote
1979	Fifth Circuit	Carter (D)	Voice vote
1981	Eleventh Circuit chief judge 1996 to 1999	Reassigned	–

Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own. A voice vote means the chamber approved aloud. No senator-by-senator tally is recorded.

Confirmation vote

Voice vote

The Senate approved this confirmation aloud, with no senator-by-senator tally recorded. Recorded roll-call votes begin in 1989.

Education

Florida A&M University	B.A.	1954
Howard University School of Law	J.D.	1959

Before the bench

Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.

U.S. Army lieutenant	1954-1956
U.S. Marine Corps Reserve lieutenant colonel and judge advocate	1977-1988
Private practice, Daytona Beach, Florida	1959-1966
Cooperating attorney, NAACP Legal Defense Fund	1960-1966
Consultant, Daytona Beach [Florida] Urban Renewal Department	1963-1966
Assistant U.S. attorney, Middle District of Florida, 1966-1971; first assistant U.S. attorney	1967-1971
Special hearing office for conscientious objectors, U.S. Department of Justice	1967-1968
Justice, Florida Supreme Court	1975-1979
Member, Judicial Conference of the United States	1997-1999

Questions & answers

Who appointed Joseph Woodrow Hatchett?: President Jimmy Carter appointed Joseph Woodrow Hatchett to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in 1979.
Was Joseph Woodrow Hatchett appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?: Joseph Woodrow Hatchett was appointed by President Jimmy Carter, a Democrat. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
What was Joseph Woodrow Hatchett's confirmation vote?: Joseph Woodrow Hatchett was confirmed by voice vote on July 12, 1979. No senator-by-senator tally was recorded.
Which court was Joseph Woodrow Hatchett on?: Joseph Woodrow Hatchett was a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Sources

Each fact on this page traces to a primary public record.

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17 years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Data as of 2026-09-28. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).