Kevin Christopher Newsom (born September 22, 1972) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Early life and education Kevin Newsom was born in Birmingham, Alabama, to Susan and Michael Alan Newsom. His father was an attorney. Newsom attended Homewood High School in Birmingham. Both of his parents had issues with alcoholism.
In 1994, Newsom received a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from Samford University, graduating first in his class. In 1997, he graduated from Harvard Law School with a Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, where he was an articles editor of the Harvard Law Review.
Career After graduation, Newsom served as a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from 1997 to 1998. He then clerked for Justice David Souter of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1998 to 1999.
Between and after his clerkships, he worked for Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C. In December 2003, he was appointed the State of Alabama's second Solicitor General, replacing Nathan A. Forrester, and served for three and a half years under state Attorneys General William H. Pryor Jr. and Troy King. While serving as Solicitor General, Newsom argued 18 cases, including 3 before the United States Supreme Court. Afterwards, Newsom was a partner at Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP in Birmingham, where his practice focused on appellate law. Posted at Bradley Arant LLP website.
Newsom serves on the Board of Overseers of Samford University. He is a member of the Federalist Society and the American Law Institute.
Federal judicial service On May 8, 2017, President Donald Trump nominated Newsom to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit vacated by Judge Joel Fredrick Dubina, who assumed senior status on October 26, 2013. A hearing on his nomination before the Senate Judiciary Committee took place on June 14, 2017.United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary: Nominations for June 14, 2017 On July 13, 2017, his nomination was reported out of committee by a 18–2 vote.Results of Executive Business Meeting – July 13, 2017 Senate Judiciary Committee On July 31, 2017, the United States Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 68–26 vote.On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Kevin Christopher Newsom, of Alabama, to be U.S. Circuit Judge), United States Senate, July 31, 2017 On August 1, 2017, his nomination was confirmed by a 66–31 vote.On the Nomination (Confirmation Kevin Christopher Newsom, of Alabama, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Eleventh Circuit), United States Senate, August 1, 2017 He received his judicial commission on August 2, 2017.
Notable rulings
In June 2020, Newsom wrote for the divided panel when it vacated a lower court's injunction ordering the Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation Department to enforce social distancing and take other preventative measures to protect prisoners from COVID-19.
On May 23, 2022, Newsom, joined by Tjoflat and Ed Carnes, ruled in Moody v. NetChoice that several provisions of Florida's social media moderation law were unconstitutional, but several others were constitutional. The Supreme Court remanded the case in July 2024.
Personal life In 1994, Newsom married Deborah E. Wilgus, who also attended Samford University, and they have two children.
See also
List of law clerks for the third seat of the Supreme Court of the United States Donald Trump Supreme Court candidates
References
Selected works
External links
Biography at Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals
Appearances at the U.S. Supreme Court from the Oyez Project
Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees for the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary Contributor profile from the Federalist Society