Bernice B. Donald

Bernice Donald
Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Incumbent
Assumed office September 8, 2011
Appointed by	Barack Obama
Preceded by	Ronald Gilman
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 Fowlkes
Personal details
Born	(1951-09-17) September 17, 1951 DeSoto, Mississippi, U.S.
Spouse(s)	W. L. Donald
Alma mater	University of Memphis

Bernice Bouie Donald (born September 17, 1951) is an American judge currently serving on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The Senate confirmed her in a 96–2 vote on September 6, 2011. She received her commission on September 8, 2011. She previously served for 15 years as a Federal trial judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee. Before that, she was a bankruptcy judge for nearly eight years, and a Tennessee state court judge handling criminal cases for six years.

Early life and education

Born in DeSoto County, Mississippi, Donald received a B.A. from Memphis State University in 1974 and a J.D. from Memphis State University 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, Shelby County Public Defender's Office, Tennessee from 1980-82.

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. From 1988-95, she was a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge in the Western District of Tennessee.

On December 7, 1995, Donald 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.

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 took senior status on November 21, 2010.

The full Senate confirmed Donald to the Sixth Circuit on September 6, 2011 in a 96–2 vote. She received her commission on September 8, 2011.

External links

• Bernice B. Donald at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.

Legal offices
Preceded by Odell Horton	Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee 1995–2011	Succeeded by John Fowlkes
Preceded by Ronald Gilman	Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit 2011–present	Incumbent