Gerald Bard Tjoflat

Gerald Bard Tjoflat (born December 6, 1929) is a senior United States circuit judge on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Appointed initially to the federal bench by President Richard Nixon and later elevated by President Gerald Ford, he has served at both the district‑court level in Florida and on two appellate courts. His career spans more than five decades, making him one of the longest‑serving active judges appointed by a president from either major party. He continues to hear cases after assuming senior status in 2019.

Early life and legal career

Gerald B. Tjoflat was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1929. As a teenager he excelled as a baseball pitcher and received an invitation to work out with the Cincinnati Reds before entering college. He began his undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia on a baseball scholarship but transferred after two years to the University of Cincinnati because of financial constraints, where he completed his bachelor’s degree.

Following his undergraduate education, Tjoflat enrolled in the University of Cincinnati College of Law. His legal studies were interrupted when he was drafted into the United States Army at the close of his first semester. He served in the Counterintelligence Corps during the Korean War and attained the rank of corporal before leaving the service in 1955. After discharge, Tjoflat returned to Cincinnati, finished a year of law school there, and then transferred to Duke University School of Law, receiving a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1957.

After admission to the bar, Tjoflat entered private practice in Jacksonville, Florida, where he worked from 1957 until 1968. He then served as a judge on Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit, also based in Jacksonville, for two years (1968‑1970). This state‑court experience preceded his appointment to the federal judiciary.

Federal appellate service

Tjoflat’s federal judicial career began with a nomination by President Richard Nixon on October 7, 1970 to a newly created seat on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. The Senate confirmed the nomination on October 13, and he received his commission three days later. He served as a district judge until December 12, 1975, when President Gerald Ford nominated him to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, filling the vacancy left by Judge John Milton Bryan Simpson. Following Senate confirmation on November 20, 1975, Tjoflat received his commission the next day and entered active service on the appellate bench later that month.

During his tenure on the Fifth Circuit, Tjoflot advocated for legislation to split the circuit, arguing that its size impeded efficient administration of justice. The resulting statutory reorganization created the Eleventh Circuit on October 1, 1981, and by operation of law Tjoflat was reassigned to the new court. He continued as an active judge on the Eleventh Circuit, eventually becoming its chief judge in 1989, a position he held until 1996. As chief judge, he oversaw the circuit during a period marked by both routine appellate work and extraordinary events, including the murder of fellow Eleventh Circuit Judge Robert Smith Vance by a pipe bomb. Tjoflat coordinated with the Department of Justice, working alongside then‑Attorney General Dick Thornburgh and Deputy Attorney General Robert Mueller to facilitate the investigation that ultimately led to the conviction of Walter Moody.

Tjoflat remained in active service on the Eleventh Circuit until November 19, 2019, when he assumed senior status. At that time he was the last federal judge still serving who had been appointed by either President Ford or President Nixon, and his tenure in active service ranked among the longest in U.S. history. As a senior judge, he continues to sit on panels and author opinions.

Jurisprudence and legacy

Judge Tjoflat’s judicial record reflects involvement in several high‑profile matters that have contributed to the development of federal law. Early in his career, while serving as a district judge, he issued an order enforcing immediate desegregation of the Duval County Public Schools, implementing cross‑bussing and closing underperforming schools in accordance with Supreme Court precedent. The decision provoked significant public reaction, including death threats directed at him and his family.

On the Eleventh Circuit, Tjoflat authored a notable dissent in *Hishon v. King & Spalding* (1982). In that case, a female attorney alleged gender discrimination in partnership decisions at a law firm. The majority held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act did not apply to voluntary associations such as legal partnerships. Tjoflat argued that the majority’s reasoning was insufficient and would have reversed the lower court’s dismissal. The Supreme Court later adopted his view, extending Title VII protections to partnership decisions.

He also participated in an en banc panel deciding *Siegel v. Lepore* (2000), a case involving plaintiffs—including former national political figures—seeking to halt manual recounts of ballots in Florida during the 2000 presidential election. While the reference does not detail his specific vote, his involvement illustrates his engagement with matters of national significance.

Beyond courtroom decisions, Tjoflat’s reputation placed him on short lists for potential elevation to the United States Supreme Court after the failed nomination of Robert Bork in 1987. Florida political leaders advocated for his consideration, and he was viewed as a viable alternative by some senators, though ultimately the seat went to Justice Anthony Kennedy.

In 1999, during the impeachment proceedings against President Bill Clinton, Tjoflat was invited to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on the broader consequences of perjury in civil litigation. Although initially declining, he eventually appeared after being threatened with a subpoena and provided general observations about the harmful effects of false testimony without commenting on the specific impeachment question.

Judge Tjoflat’s long service has been marked by consistent participation in the appellate process, mentorship of younger judges, and contributions to the administration of justice within the Eleventh Circuit. His career reflects both the evolution of the federal judiciary—from the expansion and division of circuits to the handling of landmark civil‑rights cases—and the personal resilience required to navigate high‑stakes legal and public challenges. As a senior judge still hearing cases, his influence on the development of federal law continues into the present day.