Eleventh Circuit / Appointed 2005 / Active
William Holcombe Pryor Jr.
Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2005 and confirmed by the Senate 53–45, William Holcombe Pryor Jr. is a Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He earned a law degree from Tulane University Law School in 1987. Sources ↓
- Born
- 1962 · age 64
- Appointed by
- George W. Bush, 2005
- Confirmed
- 53–45
- Chief judge
- Eleventh Circuit, 2020 to present
- Education
- Northeast Louisiana (now University of Louisiana at Monroe) 1984 · Tulane Law School 1987
- Succeeded
- Emmett Ripley Cox
Federal judicial service
| Year | Court | Appointed by | Vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Eleventh Circuit succeeded Emmett Ripley Cox chief judge 2020 to present | G.W. Bush (R) | 53–45 |
Party letters show the appointing president’s party, not the judge’s own.
Confirmation vote
Nomination Confirmed 53–45 on June 9, 2005 · 109th Congress, Roll Call 133. Each senator links to their judicial-voting record.
Voted to confirm · 53
2 D, 51 R
- Lamar Alexander(R-TN)
- A. Allard(R-CO)
- George Allen(R-VA)
- Robert Bennett(R-UT)
- Christopher Bond(R-MO)
- Samuel Brownback(R-KS)
- Jim Bunning(R-KY)
- Conrad Burns(R-MT)
- Richard Burr(R-NC)
- Saxby Chambliss(R-GA)
- Tom Coburn(R-OK)
- Thad Cochran(R-MS)
- Norm Coleman(R-MN)
- John Cornyn(R-TX)
- Larry Craig(R-ID)
- Mike Crapo(R-ID)
- James DeMint(R-SC)
- Mike DeWine(R-OH)
- Elizabeth Dole(R-NC)
- Pete Domenici(R-NM)
- John Ensign(R-NV)
- Michael Enzi(R-WY)
- Bill Frist(R-TN)
- Lindsey Graham(R-SC)
- Charles Grassley(R-IA)
- Judd Gregg(R-NH)
- Chuck Hagel(R-NE)
- Orrin Hatch(R-UT)
- Kay Hutchison(R-TX)
- Jim Inhofe(R-OK)
- Johnny Isakson(R-GA)
- Jon Kyl(R-AZ)
- Trent Lott(R-MS)
- Richard Lugar(R-IN)
- Mel Martinez(R-FL)
- John McCain(R-AZ)
- Mitch McConnell(R-KY)
- Ben Nelson(D-NE)
- Pat Roberts(R-KS)
- Ken Salazar(D-CO)
- Rick Santorum(R-PA)
- Jeff Sessions(R-AL)
- Richard Shelby(R-AL)
- Gordon Smith(R-OR)
- Arlen Specter(R-PA)
- Ted Stevens(R-AK)
- John Sununu(R-NH)
- Jim Talent(R-MO)
- Craig Thomas(R-WY)
- John Thune(R-SD)
- David Vitter(R-LA)
- George Voinovich(R-OH)
- John Warner(R-VA)
Voted against · 45
42 D, 3 R
- Daniel Akaka(D-HI)
- Max Baucus(D-MT)
- Evan Bayh(D-IN)
- Joe Biden(D-DE)
- Jeff Bingaman(D-NM)
- Barbara Boxer(D-CA)
- Robert Byrd(D-WV)
- Maria Cantwell(D-WA)
- Thomas Carper(D-DE)
- Lincoln Chafee(R-RI)
- Hillary Clinton(D-NY)
- Susan Collins(R-ME)
- Kent Conrad(D-ND)
- Jon Corzine(D-NJ)
- Mark Dayton(D-MN)
- Christopher Dodd(D-CT)
- Byron Dorgan(D-ND)
- Richard Durbin(D-IL)
- Russ Feingold(D-WI)
- Dianne Feinstein(D-CA)
- Tom Harkin(D-IA)
- Daniel Inouye(D-HI)
- Tim Johnson(D-SD)
- Edward Kennedy(D-MA)
- John Kerry(D-MA)
- Herb Kohl(D-WI)
- Mary Landrieu(D-LA)
- Frank Lautenberg(D-NJ)
- Patrick Leahy(D-VT)
- Carl Levin(D-MI)
- Joe Lieberman(D-CT)
- Blanche Lincoln(D-AR)
- Barbara Mikulski(D-MD)
- Patty Murray(D-WA)
- Bill Nelson(D-FL)
- Barack Obama(D-IL)
- Mark Pryor(D-AR)
- Jack Reed(D-RI)
- Harry Reid(D-NV)
- Jay Rockefeller(D-WV)
- Paul Sarbanes(D-MD)
- Charles Schumer(D-NY)
- Olympia Snowe(R-ME)
- Debbie Stabenow(D-MI)
- Ron Wyden(D-OR)
Did not vote · 2
1 R, 1 I
- James Jeffords(I-VT)
- Lisa Murkowski(R-AK)
Education
| Northeast Louisiana University (now University of Louisiana at Monroe) | B.A. | 1984 |
| Tulane University Law School | J.D. | 1987 |
Before the bench
Professional career before and outside the federal bench, as recorded by the Federal Judicial Center.
| Law clerk, Hon. John Minor Wisdom, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | 1987-1988 |
| Private practice, Alabama | 1988-1995 |
| Adjunct professor, Samford University, Cumberland School of Law | 1989-1995 |
| Deputy attorney general, State of Alabama | 1995-1997 |
| Attorney general, State of Alabama | 1997-2004 |
| Commissioner, U.S. Sentencing Commission, 2013-2018; acting chair | 2017-2018 |
| Member, Judicial Conference of the United States | 2020-present |
Questions & answers
- Who appointed William Holcombe Pryor Jr.?
- President George W. Bush appointed William Holcombe Pryor Jr. to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in 2005.
- Was William Holcombe Pryor Jr. appointed by a Democrat or a Republican?
- William Holcombe Pryor Jr. was appointed by President George W. Bush, a Republican. JudicialFinder records the appointing president's party, not a judge's own politics.
- What was William Holcombe Pryor Jr.'s confirmation vote?
- The Senate confirmed William Holcombe Pryor Jr. 53–45 on June 9, 2005.
- Which court is William Holcombe Pryor Jr. on?
- William Holcombe Pryor Jr. is 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.
- FJC Biographical Directory
- Wikidata
- Portrait: Unknown authorUnknown author (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons
- Confirmation roll-call (Senate.gov, 2005)
How we source & reconcile data → Data & Sources
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21 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).