Born in Macon, Georgia, Martin graduated from Stratford Academy in 1973 before attending Mercer University for one year from 1972 to 1973.

[1] On June 19, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Martin to a seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit vacated by Judge R. Lanier Anderson III, who assumed senior status on January 31, 2009.

[6][7] In June 2020, Martin dissented when the divided panel 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.

[8][9] In September 2020, Martin dissented when the en banc majority upheld a statute imposing additional financial obligations upon felons seeking reenfranchisement under a recent ballot initiative.

[10][11] In November 2020, Martin dissented when the majority found that a municipality’s ban on minor conversion therapy violated the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.