Joel Fredrick Dubina (born October 26, 1947) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a Senior United States circuit judge of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (in case citations, 11th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following U.S. district courts: * Middle District of Alabama * Northern District of Alabama * ...

and a former United States District Judge of the

United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama The United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama (in case citations, M.D. Ala.) is a federal court in the Eleventh Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appeal ...

.11th circuit directory
. Retrieved on December 3, 2008.

Early life and education

Dubina was born in Elkhart,

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

. He received a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

degree from the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...

in 1970, and a

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from

Cumberland School of Law Cumberland School of Law is an American Bar Association, ABA accredited law school at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, United States. It was founded in 1847 at Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee and is the 11th oldest law schoo ...

Samford University Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United Sta ...

in 1973. He was a

law clerk A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person, generally someone who provides direct counsel and assistance to a lawyer or judge by researching issues and drafting legal opinions for cases before the court. Judicial clerks often play significant ...

to Judge

Robert Edward Varner Robert Edward Varner (June 11, 1921 – May 17, 2006) was a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Education and career Born in Montgomery, Alabama, Mont ...

of the

from 1973 to 1974.

Career

Dubina worked in private practice of law in Montgomery,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

from 1974 to 1983.

Federal judicial service

Dubina was a

United States magistrate judge In United States federal courts, magistrate judges are judges appointed to assist U.S. district court judges in the performance of their duties. Magistrate judges generally oversee first appearances of criminal defendants, set bail, and conduct ...

for the Middle District of Alabama from 1983 to 1986. He was nominated by President

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

on July 30, 1986, to Varner's seat on the

. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

on September 12, 1986, and received commission on September 15, 1986. His service was terminated on October 5, 1990, following his elevation to the

. Dubina was nominated to the Eleventh Circuit by President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

on June 7, 1990, to a seat vacated by Judge

Robert Smith Vance Robert Smith Vance Sr. (May 10, 1931 – December 16, 1989) was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and later the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He was one of three 2 ...

. Dubina was confirmed by the Senate on September 28, 1990, and received his commission on October 1, 1990. He served as Chief Judge of the Eleventh Circuit from June 1, 2009, until July 31, 2013. Dubina had announced his intention to assume

senior status Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the Federal judiciary of the United States, federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of servi ...

, effective August 1, 2013, but waited until his 66th birthday on October 24, 2013. In 2009 Dubina served as member of the three-judge panel which denied an "Application for Leave to File a Second or Successive Habeas Corpus Petition" in the Troy Davis case. Dubina was on the

11th Circuit Court of Appeals The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (in case citations, 11th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the following U.S. district courts: * Middle District of Alabama * Northern District of Alabama * ...

panel that reviewed

Roger Vinson Clyde Roger Vinson (born February 19, 1940) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida. Until May 3, 2013, he was also a member of the United States Foreign Intelligence Surve ...

's decision in ''Florida v. United States Department of Health and Human Services''.

Personal life

Dubina is married. His daughter,

Martha Roby Martha Kehres Roby ( ; née Dubina; born July 26, 1976) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, she defeated the incumbent Democratic U.S. Representati ...

, became an attorney and a politician, first serving on the city council. She entered politics and was elected in 2010 to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from Alabama (AL-2) defeating incumbent congressman

Bobby Bright Bobby Neal Bright Sr. (born July 21, 1952) is an American former lawyer, farmer, and former politician who served as a U.S. Representative and was previously the three term Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama. He served from 2009 to 2011 as the Represe ...

. She has been re-elected to successive terms.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dubina, Joel Fredrick 1947 births Living people 20th-century American judges Cumberland School of Law alumni Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama People from Elkhart, Indiana Lawyers from Montgomery, Alabama United States court of appeals judges appointed by George H. W. Bush United States district court judges appointed by Ronald Reagan United States magistrate judges University of Alabama alumni 21st-century American judges