Ada Brown (judge)
Ada Brown | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas | |
| Assumed office September 13, 2019 | |
| Appointed by | Donald Trump |
| Preceded by | Terry R. Means |
| Associate Justice of the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas | |
| In office September 3, 2013 – September 13, 2019 | |
| Appointed by | Rick Perry |
| Succeeded by | David W. Evans |
| Judge of the Dallas County District Court | |
| In office 2005–2007 | |
| Appointed by | Rick Perry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ada Elene Brown November 8, 1974 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Nationality | American Choctaw Nation |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Spelman College (BA) (Emory University) (JD) (Duke University) (L.L.M.) |
Ada Elene Brown (born November 8, 1974) is an American lawyer who is a district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas. She is a former trial judge of the Dallas County courts and a former Justice of the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas. She was the first African-American woman federal judge nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Senate.
Early life and education
[edit]Ada Elene Brown[1] was born on November 8, 1974, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.[2] She graduated as a valedictorian of her high school class, where she was elected both sophomore and junior class president.[3] She earned her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Spelman College, her Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law and her Master of Laws from Duke University School of Law[4]
Legal career
[edit]Criminal law practice
[edit]Brown began her career practicing criminal law. She served as a trial prosecutor at the Dallas County District Attorney's Office, where she tried over 100 jury trials to verdict as lead prosecutor. During this time, she became a felony trial prosecutor and prosecuted murders, rapes, kidnappings, and other felony crimes. She was known for taking on complex, technical cases. She specialized in prosecuting felony internet crimes against children.[5] In 2005, Brown was one of 2.5% of attorneys under 40 selected by Super Lawyers magazine as a Rising Star in criminal prosecution.[5] Brown left the Dallas County District Attorney’s office to become a district court judge.
Civil law practice
[edit]After leaving the trial bench, Brown practiced as a civil litigator at McKool Smith in Dallas, Texas, where her practice focused on commercial litigation and patent infringement matters. She was an attorney in cases involving million dollar judgments. [5]
Law enforcement commissioner
[edit]Brown was appointed by Texas Governor Rick Perry to serve as a Commissioner for the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education, the regulatory agency responsible for licensing all police officers in Texas. Perry later appointed Brown as a Commissioner for the Texas Department of Public Safety, one of 5 people responsible for overseeing a $2.3 billion biennial budget and 10,000+ employees, including the Texas Ranger Division as well as all state troopers in the Texas Highway Patrol.[6][better source needed]
Judicial career
[edit]State judicial service
[edit]Brown was a trial judge of the Dallas County Criminal District Court, before departing for private practice.[5]
On September 3, 2013, Governor Rick Perry appointed her to serve as a Justice on the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas. Brown served there for six years, during which time she heard over 1,500 civil and criminal appeals.[5] She resigned from the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas upon her appointment to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
Federal judicial service
[edit]
On March 15, 2019, President Donald Trump announced his intent to nominate Brown to serve as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.[4] On March 26, 2019, her nomination was sent to the Senate. Ada Brown was nominated to the seat vacated by Judge Terry R. Means, who assumed senior status on July 3, 2013.[7] On April 30, 2019, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[8] On June 13, 2019, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 18–4 vote.[9] On July 30, 2019, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 79–9 vote.[10] On September 11, 2019, her nomination was confirmed by an 80–13 vote.[11][12] She received her judicial commission on September 13, 2019.[13]
Ryan, LLC v. FTC
[edit]On August 21, 2024, Brown ruled in Ryan, LLC v. FTC that a proposed rule by the Federal Trade Commission to ban noncompete agreements was unlawful. The ban, which was set to take effect in September 2024, was ruled as "arbitrary and capricious", and an overstepping of the FTC's legal authority. [14]
Memberships
[edit]Brown is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Mayflower Society, and the Federalist Society. Brown joined Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority while at Spelman College. She is also a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.[5][15][16]
See also
[edit]- List of African-American federal judges
- List of African-American jurists
- List of Native American jurists
References
[edit]- ^ "Justice Ada Elene Brown Profile | Dallas, TX Lawyer | Martindale.com". www.martindale.com.
- ^ Oklahoma State Vital Records Index
- ^ "Ada Brown serves to inspire others | Choctaw Nation". www.choctawnation.com.
- ^ a b "President Donald J. Trump Announces Judicial Nominees – The White House". trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov.
- ^ a b c d e f "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees: Ada Elene Brown". www.judiciary.senate.gov.
- ^ "Ada Brown". Ballotpedia.
- ^ "Seven Nominations Sent to the Senate – The White House". trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov.
- ^ McDonald, Robin (April 30, 2019). "Senator Claims Trump's Judicial Picks 'Instructed' to Evade 'Brown v. Board' Questions". Law.com. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
- ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – June 13, 2019, Senate Judiciary Committee" (PDF).
- ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Ada E. Brown to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Texas)". www.senate.gov.
- ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Ada E. Brown, of Texas, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Texas)". www.senate.gov. Sep 11, 2019.
- ^ "PN524 - Nomination of Ada E. Brown for The Judiciary, 116th Congress (2019–2020)". www.congress.gov. Sep 11, 2019.
- ^ Ada Brown at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- ^ "Federal judge throws out U.S. ban on noncompetes". Oregon Public Broadcasting. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
- ^ "African-American Judges on the Federal Courts". FJC.com. Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ "Those Who Inspire". kxii.com. KXII News Station. October 2020. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
External links
[edit]- Ada Brown at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
- Ada Brown at Ballotpedia
- 1974 births
- Living people
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 21st-century American lawyers
- 20th-century Native American people
- 21st-century Native American politicians
- Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma people
- African-American judges
- American people of Muscogee descent
- Daughters of the American Revolution people
- Emory University School of Law alumni
- Native American judges
- Native American women judges
- Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas
- Mensans
- Lawyers from Oklahoma City
- Spelman College alumni
- Texas lawyers
- Texas Republicans
- Texas state court judges
- United States district court judges appointed by Donald Trump
- 20th-century American women lawyers
- 21st-century American women lawyers
- 21st-century American women judges
- 20th-century Native American women
- 21st-century Native American women
- 20th-century African-American lawyers
- African-American women lawyers
- 21st-century African-American lawyers