Senior Judge Elbert P. Tuttle, who died last week at the age of 98, was believed to be the oldest working federal judge in the history of the country. Judge Tuttle authored his last opinion about a year ago, and as recently as eight months ago, helped the busy U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit screen cases.
"Judge Tuttle—a giant in the fight against segregation—in his later years became an extraordinary example of the invaluable work performed by senior United States judges," said Leonidas Ralph Mecham, Director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. "For the past 28 years, Judge Tuttle has been working as a volunteer. He could have retired at the age of 69, proudly looked back on a long and distinguished career as a jurist, and received a full annuity. But he didn't. Instead, each day Judge Tuttle went to his office in the courthouse that bears his name and continued his commitment to public service."
Today there are nearly 400 senior judges. At the court of appeals level, senior judges participate in almost 14 percent of all oral hearings. At the district court level, 19 percent of all trials conducted were presided over by senior judges. A statistical profile of the workload contributions of senior judges is attached.
For the 12-month period concluded March 31, 1996, senior U.S. district court judges performed the work equivalent to 109 active trial court judges. Some districts that have a large number of judicial vacancies have been able to keep up with their caseloads solely because of the contributions of senior judges.
The work performed by senior judges is an integral part of the effort to manage efficiently the dockets of many courts. In fact, a study by the Administrative Office in 1993 found that "senior judges are an indispensable resource in the efficient management of the caseload in the district courts, especially with regard to civil cases." The study concluded, "If justice delayed is justice denied, then justice would be denied to thousands of Americans every year without the service of the senior judges in the U.S. district courts."
U.S. court of appeals or district judges who are on senior status continue to hold office but are no longer expected to work full-time. A judge may take senior status when he or she reaches the minimum age of 65 and has 15 years of service.
"It is a fact that were it not for the work of senior judges, the United States courts would be drowning in their workload," Director Mecham said. "Judge Elbert Tuttle was a stalwart in the able and dedicated corps of senior judges."
Born in 1897, Judge Tuttle was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (which later was divided into the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits) in 1954 by President Eisenhower. He served as the Fifth Circuit's chief judge from 1960 to 1967. Judge Tuttle was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award, and the Legion of Merit Bronze Star and the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster for service during World War II.
| Type of Activity | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Courts of Appeals | |||||||||
| All Participations in Oral Hearings and Submissions on Briefs | 58,714 | 59,638 | 64,293 | 68,950 | 70,491 | 77,636 | 80,255 | 85,472 | |
| Senior Judges Only (1) | 7,665 | 7,560 | 9,122 | 10,284 | 9,949 | 9,917 | 9,879 | 11,804 | |
| Percent of All | 13.1 | 12.7 | 14.2 | 14.9 | 14.1 | 12.8 | 12.3 | 13.8 | |
| District Courts (2) | |||||||||
| All Civil Cases and Criminal Defendants Terminated | 295,194 | 293,878 | 274,101 | 270,014 | 281,092 | 267,081 | 269,267 | 259,419 | |
| Senior Judges Only | 28,243 | 29,154 | 32,878 | 33,015 | 40,636 | 40,610 | 41,718 | 38,626 | |
| Percent of All | 9.6 | 9.9 | 12.0 | 12.2 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 15.5 | 14.9 | |
| All Trials Conducted | 20,180 | 20,459 | 20,886 | 20,750 | 20,912 | 20,450 | 19,366 | 19,464 | |
| Senior Judges Only | 2,554 | 2,461 | 3,049 | 3,177 | 3,375 | 3,702 | 3,574 | 3,686 | |
| Percent of All | 12.7 | 12.0 | 14.6 | 15.3 | 16.1 | 18.1 | 18.5 | 18.9 | |
| All Hours in Trial | 278,706 | 280,619 | 280,505 | 278,205 | 281,538 | 274,847 | 262,058 | 258,456 | |
| Senior Judges Only | 36,690 | 35,793 | 41,127 | 43,927 | 45,685 | 48,310 | 47,166 | 46,328 | |
| Percent of All | 13.2 | 12.8 | 14.7 | 15.8 | 16.2 | 17.6 | 18.0 | 17.9 | |
| All Hours in Other Proceedings | 156,211 | 146,487 | 146,488 | 154,353 | 160,094 | 157,366 | 146,075 | 155,911 | |
| Senior Judges Only | 20,718 | 18,937 | 23,332 | 26,004 | 28,299 | 27,884 | 25,690 | 25,839 | |
| Percent of All | 13.3 | 12.9 | 15.9 | 16.8 | 17.7 | 17.7 | 17.6 | 16.6 | |
(1) In the Courts of Appeals for 1993-1995, "Senior Judges Only" represents resident senior circuit judges only.
(2) In the District Courts, the "Senior Judges Only" totals do not include the work of senior circuit judges in the district courts.