Bernice Bouie Donald (born September 17, 1951) is an American lawyer and former federal judge. She served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit from 2011 to 2023. She previously served as a United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee from 1995 to 2011. In January 2024, she became a member of the law firm of Burch, Porter and Johnson, PLLC.
Career output and lasting influence
Opinions attributed per year · peak 8/year
Later decisions citing those opinions, per year · peak 99/year
Tennessee Western District Court · 1995–2011Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals · 2011–2023
Both charts share the same year axis. Opinion counts include only opinions in our corpus attributed to this judge so far — a year at zero can mean an attribution gap, not judicial silence. Influence typically outlasts the career: citations keep climbing after the last opinion.
- Gender
- Female
- Race
- African American
Prior employment
Board member · 2004–2008- Tennessee General Sessions Criminal CourtJudge · 1982–1988
- Memphis State University (now University of Memphis), Humphreys School of LawAdjunct professor · 1985–1988
- Shelby State Community CollegeAdjunct professor · 1981–1984
- Private practice, Memphis, Tennessee1979–1980
- Employment Law & Economic Development Unit, Memphis [Tennessee] Area Legal ServicesStaff attorney · 1980
- Shelby County, Tennessee, 1980-82Assistant public defender
Appointments
2011–2023 · Appointed by Barack Obama (Democratic)Term ended: Retirement
1995–2011 · Appointed by William J. Clinton (Democratic)Term ended: Appointment to Another Judicial Position
Education
- Memphis State University (now University of Memphis) Cecil C. Humphreys School of LawJ.D. · 1979
- Memphis State University (now University of Memphis)B.A. · 1974