Judge Bernice Donald, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, will serve as the featured speaker for the University of Tennessee College of Law’s May 2022 commencement ceremonies.
Donald’s experiences and nearly 40-year career have made her a unique woman of firsts. She grew up in Olive Branch, Mississippi where she was one of the first four African American students to integrate into an all-white school district. She went on to become the first African American female judge in Tennessee, the first in the United States to serve as a bankruptcy judge, the first to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee and the first on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Donald was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals by President Barack Obama in December 2010 and re-nominated in January 2011. She was confirmed 96-2 by the Senate on Sept. 6, 2011. Last year, she announced her intention to move to senior status upon the confirmation of her successor.
Donald has received more than 100 awards for her professional, civic and community activities, including the Lifetime Liberty Achievement Award by the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Martin Luther King Community Service Award.
It is true that “I have received numerous awards for my service as a judge,” Donald said. “I have traveled across the country and abroad lecturing on the rule of law. I have raised awareness of the role that implicit bias may play in the judiciary. But to date, the highest achievement that I could receive is knowing that I can pass the torch to young lawyers who too will seek justice for all.”
Donald said she looks forward to addressing graduates who she knows “will make meaningful contributions to the profession” and carry forward the College of Law’s “stellar legacy with pride.”
Interim Dean Doug Blaze said Donald’s unparalleled career and story inspired students to select her as their commencement speaker.
“We have enjoyed a long relationship with her as she has so generously given her time to talk with our students and help them become better attorneys,” Blaze said. “This is just one more instance of her generosity and commitment to our students’ educational experience.”
The College of Law Spring 2022 commencement and hooding ceremony will take place Saturday, May 21 at 12:30 p.m. in Thompson Boling Arena.