Nancy Abudu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nancy Abudu
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office May 26, 2023
Appointed by	Joe Biden
Preceded by	Beverly B. Martin
Personal details
Born	Nancy Gbana Abudu 1974 (age 50–51) Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
Education	Columbia University (BA) Tulane University (JD)

Nancy Gbana Abudu (born in 1974) is an American lawyer. She serves as a United States circuit judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. This means she is a judge who works for the U.S. government and makes important legal decisions for a large area of the country.

Early Life and Education

Nancy Abudu was born and grew up in Alexandria, Virginia. Her parents were immigrants from Ghana. They taught her about important movements, like her father's work against unfair laws in South Africa.

After finishing high school at Mercersburg Academy in 1992, she went to Columbia University. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree there in 1996. Later, she studied law at Tulane University Law School, getting her law degree in 1999.

Career as a Lawyer

After law school, Nancy Abudu worked at a private law firm from 1999 to 2001. Then, from 2002 to 2004, she worked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Her job was to focus on laws that affect many people and international rules.

From 2005 to 2013, she was a lawyer for the ACLU Voting Rights Project. This group works to protect people's right to vote. She became an expert in voting rights law. From 2013 to 2019, she led the legal team for the ACLU in Florida.

After her time at the ACLU, she worked for the Southern Poverty Law Center from 2019 to 2023. She was a deputy legal director there. This organization also works on important legal issues.

Becoming a Federal Judge

On December 23, 2021, President Joe Biden announced he wanted Nancy Abudu to become a United States circuit judge. She was nominated for a position on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. This position became open when Judge Beverly B. Martin retired.

Her nomination went to the Senate Judiciary Committee for a hearing on April 27, 2022. Some politicians had concerns about her past work with the Southern Poverty Law Center. On May 26, 2022, the committee's vote was tied, so her nomination did not move forward at that time.

However, President Biden nominated her again on January 3, 2023. On February 9, 2023, the committee voted again, and this time, her nomination was approved. Some senators still questioned if her previous advocacy work would affect her fairness as a judge.

On May 15, 2023, the Senate began the final steps to vote on her nomination. On May 17, 2023, the Senate voted to end debate and move to a final vote. Finally, on May 18, 2023, the Senate confirmed her nomination by a vote of 49 to 47. She officially received her judicial commission on May 26, 2023.

Nancy Abudu made history as the first African American woman to serve on the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

See also

• Joe Biden Supreme Court candidates
• List of African American federal judges
• List of African American jurists