The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (in case citations, 11th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:
Middle District of Alabama
Northern District of Alabama
Southern District of Alabama
Middle District of Florida
Northern District of Florida
Southern District of Florida
Middle District of Georgia
Northern District of Georgia
Southern District of Georgia
These districts were originally part of the Fifth Circuit, but were split off to form the Eleventh Circuit effective October 1, 1981. For this reason, Fifth Circuit decisions from before this split are considered binding precedent in the Eleventh Circuit.
The court is based at the Elbert P. Tuttle U.S. Court of Appeals Building in Atlanta, Georgia, named for Elbert Tuttle who served as Chief Judge of the Fifth Circuit in the 1960s and was known for issuing decisions which advanced the civil rights of African-Americans.
Eleventh Circuit Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat is currently the longest-serving federal appeals court judge still in active service, having served since 1975.
The Eleventh Circuit is one of the thirteen United States courts of appeals.
