COURT: SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF GEORGIA
AGE: 49
CONFIRMED: JANUARY 2007
APPOINTED BY: BUSH
The small Georgia town of Brunswick might not seem like an obvious springboard for advancement. But Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, who has spent all of her career in or around Brunswick (population 15,000), has gradually become one of the most respected judges in her state and, indeed, in her circuit. While all of the judges on this list are strong candidates for promotion to circuit court, Wood is already hearing appellate cases, sitting by designation on panels for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
