Bernice B. Donald facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bernice Donald
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| Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit | |
| In office September 27, 2022 – January 20, 2023 |
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| Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit | |
| In office September 8, 2011 – September 27, 2022 |
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| 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 |
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| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Odell Horton |
| Succeeded by | John T. Fowlkes Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Bernice Bouie
September 17, 1951 DeSoto County, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Education | University of Memphis (BA, JD) |
Bernice Bouie Donald (born September 17, 1951) is an American lawyer and a former federal judge. She worked as a judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 2011 to 2023. Before that, she was a judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee from 1995 to 2011.
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About Bernice Donald
Bernice Donald was born in DeSoto County, Mississippi. She studied at the University of Memphis, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974. She then went on to get her law degree (Juris Doctor) from the University of Memphis School of Law in 1979.
After law school, she worked as a private lawyer in Memphis, Tennessee, from 1979 to 1980. She then helped people with legal issues related to jobs and money at Memphis Area Legal Services in 1980. From 1980 to 1982, Bernice Donald was an assistant public defender in Shelby County. This meant she was a lawyer who helped people who couldn't afford their own legal help.
From 1985 to 1988, she was also an adjunct professor at Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law. This means she taught law classes part-time.
Bernice Donald's Judicial Career
Serving as a State Judge
From 1982 to 1988, Bernice Donald was a judge on Tennessee's General Sessions Criminal Court. This court handles many different types of cases, including minor criminal cases. During this time, she also taught as an adjunct professor at Southwest Tennessee Community College from 1984 to 1989.
Serving as a Federal Judge
Bankruptcy Court Judge
From 1988 to 1995, Judge Donald served as a United States bankruptcy judge. A bankruptcy judge helps people and businesses who are having serious financial problems. They make decisions about how debts can be paid off.
District Court Judge
On December 7, 1995, President Bill Clinton chose Bernice Donald to be a judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. The United States Senate approved her nomination on December 22, 1995. She officially became a judge on December 26, 1995.
She served as a U.S. district judge until September 8, 2011. District courts are the main trial courts in the federal system.
Court of Appeals Judge
On December 1, 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Bernice Donald for a judgeship on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. This court hears appeals from the district courts. The Senate approved her nomination on September 6, 2011, with a vote of 96 to 2. She officially started her new role on September 8, 2011.
On September 8, 2022, a new judge, Andre Mathis, was approved to take her place. Judge Donald took on a "senior status" role on September 27, 2022. This means she worked a reduced schedule. She fully retired from her active judge duties 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
