As court changes, one voice stays the same

One judge on the federal appeals court in Atlanta has made history. Gerald Tjoflat is nowthe longest-serving active federal appeals court judge, having surpassed42 years on the bench.

In a recent interview, the88-yearold judge said he has hung photos ofhis law clerks on thewalls ofhis chambers in Jacksonville, Fla., since he became an appeals court judge. That’s becomea problem, he said, because more than 200clerks have nowworked for him.

“I’m running out of roomon thewall,” Tjoflat said with a chuckle.

Tjoflat was appointed by President Gerald Ford in1975, six years before the court split into two separate circuits. One is now headquartered in Atlanta, the other in New Orleans.

“I’ve seen about three generations of judges on this court, ”said Tjoflat, who’s recovering from recent hip replacement surgery .“Society has changed drastically aswell, butwe still see the same kinds of legal problems. Andthat’s the fun part— taking them apart, making them simple and arriving at a decision.”

Onthe bench, Tjoflat can be a formidable force during oral arguments, hurling one hypothetical question after another at backpedaling attorneys. They oftenfind themselves scrambling to find an answer that avoids having them concede T jo flat’ s point.

Tjoflat saidhe still enjoys hashing out legal issues with bright young law clerks fresh out of lawschool. But he saidit will be up to those same clerks and his wife, Marcia, to give him honest appraisals of his mental fitness.

“When I start to slip, ”Tjoflat said, “it’ll be time to hang it up.”

When asked about his appointment to the bench more than four decades ago, Tjoflat replied, “It still seems like yesterday.”

Judge Gerald Bard Tjoflat of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.