Debra M. Brown
Debra M. Brown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi | |
| Assumed office June 11, 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Sharion Aycock |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi | |
| Assumed office November 5, 2013 | |
| Appointed by | Barack Obama |
| Preceded by | W. Allen Pepper Jr. |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Debra Marie Brown November 22, 1963 Yazoo City, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Education | Mississippi State University (BArch) University of Mississippi School of Law (JD) |
Debra Marie Brown (born November 22, 1963) is the Chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi.
Biography
Brown was born in 1963, in Yazoo City, Mississippi.[1] She received a Bachelor of Architecture in 1987, from Mississippi State University. Prior to attending law school, she worked as an architect in the Washington, D.C. area. She received a Juris Doctor in 1997 from the University of Mississippi School of Law, where she served as articles editor of the law review. After graduation, she worked at the law firm of Phelps Dunbar LLP for more than fourteen years. From 2012 to 2013, she was a shareholder at the law firm of Wise Carter Child & Caraway, P.A. in Jackson, Mississippi, where she handled a wide variety of commercial litigation matters before both federal and state courts. From 2003 to 2004, she served as President of the Mississippi Women Lawyers Association.[2][3]
Federal judicial service
On May 16, 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Brown to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, to the seat vacated by Judge W. Allen Pepper, Jr., who died on January 24, 2012. The Senate Judiciary Committee reported her nomination to the full Senate on August 1, 2013 by voice vote. Brown was confirmed as a district judge on November 4, 2013 by a vote of 90–0. She received her judicial commission on November 5, 2013,[3] and was sworn in by Judge Michael P. Mills on December 18, 2013,[4] becoming the first African-American to become a District Judge in Mississippi.[5] Brown became the Chief Judge on June 11, 2021, succeeding Judge Sharion Aycock,[6] becoming the first African-American woman to serve as Chief Judge for the Northern District of Mississippi.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "Senate Judiciary Committee Nomination Questionnaire" (PDF).
- ^ "President Obama Nominates Three to Serve on the United States District Court". whitehouse.gov. 16 May 2013 – via National Archives.
- ^ a b "Brown, Debra Marie – Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
- ^ "First black woman becomes Miss. US district judge". Associated Press. 18 December 2013. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
- ^ a b Rowe, Keisha (June 7, 2021). "U.S. District Judge Debra M. Brown makes history as first Black woman named chief judge in MS". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- ^ "Judge Debra Brown to become new Chief Judge of Northern District of Mississippi". WJTV. June 7, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
External links
- Debra M. Brown at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Debra M. Brown at Ballotpedia
- 1963 births
- Living people
- 21st-century American judges
- 21st-century American women judges
- African-American judges
- American women architects
- American women lawyers
- Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi
- Mississippi lawyers
- Mississippi State University alumni
- People from Yazoo City, Mississippi
- University of Mississippi School of Law alumni
- United States district court judges appointed by Barack Obama