Judge Andrew Brasher, who was confirmed earlier this year to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama, on Wednesday was nominated by President Donald J. Trump to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit.
Before being nominated by Trump for his current federal judgeship, Brasher was serving as solicitor general of Alabama.
Senator Doug Jones (D-AL) voted against Brasher’s confirmation to the district court, while Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) voted affirmatively to confirm.
Upon hearing the news on Wednesday, Shelby voiced his support for Brasher’s new nomination, as did two other major supporters of his — Attorney General Steve Marshall and former Senator Luther Strange (R-AL).
I congratulate Judge Brasher on this honor. I am confident that his judicial temperament, integrity, and dedication will continue to contribute to the high standards of our nation’s judicial system.
— Richard Shelby (@SenShelby) November 6, 2019
“Judge Andrew Brasher is eminently qualified and possesses the judicial temperament to make him a fine choice to serve as a federal appeals judge,” Marshall said in a statement. “Judge Brasher distinguished himself as a legal scholar during his lengthy tenure as Solicitor General of the State of Alabama, arguing and winning cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, and the Alabama Supreme Court.”
“I applaud President Trump for his nomination of Judge Andrew Brasher to a seat on the federal appeals court and I give his nomination my full support,” he concluded.
Brasher has won two “Best Brief Award” honors from the National Association of Attorneys General. Before his appointment as solicitor general in 2014, he served for several years as deputy solicitor general.
Before joining the attorney general’s office in that capacity, Brasher practiced in the litigation and white-collar criminal defense practice groups in the prestigious Birmingham office of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. Upon graduation from law school, he served as a law clerk to Alabama’s Judge William H. Pryor, Jr., of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. Brasher earned his Bachelor of Arts with honors and summa cum laude, from Samford University, where he presently serves on the Board of Overseers, and his Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Harvard Law Review and winner of the Victor Brudney Prize.
Judge Brasher will be a tremendous addition to the 11th Circuit! Great choice by @realDonaldTrump! https://t.co/3trNULO0As
— Luther Strange (@lutherstrange) November 6, 2019
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
