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| Bernice Donald | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit | |
| In office September 27, 2022 – January 20, 2023 | |
| Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit | |
| In office September 8, 2011 – September 27, 2022 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | Ronald Lee Gilman |
| Succeeded by | Andre Mathis |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee | |
| In office December 26, 1995 – September 8, 2011 | |
| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Odell Horton |
| Succeeded by | John T. Fowlkes Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Bernice Bouie (1951-09-17) September 17, 1951 (age 73) DeSoto County, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Education | University of Memphis (BA, JD) |
Bernice Bouie Donald (born September 17, 1951) is an American lawyer and former federal judge. She served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 2011 to 2023. She previously served as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee from 1995 to 2011.
Biography
Donald was born in DeSoto County, Mississippi. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Memphis in 1974 and a Juris Doctor from University of Memphis School of Law in 1979. She was in private practice in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1979 to 1980, then became a staff attorney of the Employment Law & Economic Development Unit, Memphis Area Legal Services, Tennessee in 1980. Donald was an assistant public defender in the Shelby County Public Defender's Office, Tennessee from 1980 to 1982. From 1985 to 1988, she was an adjunct professor at Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.
Judicial career
State judicial service
Donald was a judge on Tennessee's General Sessions Criminal Court from 1982 to 1988, also teaching as an adjunct professor at Southwest Tennessee Community College from 1984 to 1989. Donald became a member of Zeta Phi Beta sorority Alpha Eta Zeta chapter (Memphis, Tennessee) in 1983.
Federal judicial service
Bankruptcy court service
From 1988 to 1995, Donald served as a United States bankruptcy judge for the Western District of Tennessee.
District court service
On December 7, 1995, she was nominated by President Bill Clinton to a seat on the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee vacated by Odell Horton. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 22, 1995, and received her commission on December 26, 1995. Her service as a U.S. district judge was terminated on September 8, 2011, when she was elevated to the federal appellate court.
Court of appeals service
On December 1, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Donald for a judgeship on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit to replace Judge Ronald Lee Gilman who assumed senior status on November 21, 2010. The Senate confirmed Donald on September 6, 2011, by a 96–2 vote. She received her commission on September 8, 2011. On September 8, 2022, her successor, Andre Mathis, was confirmed by the Senate. Donald assumed senior status on September 27, 2022, and retired from active service on January 20, 2023.
See also
- List of African-American federal judges
- List of African-American jurists
- List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States
- List of first women lawyers and judges in Tennessee
References
- ^ Bernice B. Donald at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- President Obama Nominates Judge Bernice Bouie Donald for United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, whitehouse.gov (December 1, 2010).
- On the Nomination (Confirmation Bernice Bouie Donald, of Tennessee, to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit), United States Senate September 6, 2011.
External links
- Bernice B. Donald at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Bernice B. Donald at Ballotpedia
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byOdell Horton | Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee 1995–2011 |
Succeeded byJohn T. Fowlkes Jr. |
| Preceded byRonald Lee Gilman | Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit 2011–2022 |
Succeeded byAndre Mathis |
- 1951 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American judges
- 20th-century American women judges
- 21st-century American judges
- 21st-century American women judges
- African-American judges
- Judges of the United States bankruptcy courts
- Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- Judges of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee
- People from DeSoto County, Mississippi
- Public defenders
- Tennessee state court judges
- United States court of appeals judges appointed by Barack Obama
- United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton
- University of Memphis faculty
- University of Memphis alumni