Ada Brown | |
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| Judge of theUnited 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 theFifth Court of Appeals of Texas | |
| In office September 3, 2013 – September 13, 2019 | |
| Appointed by | Rick Perry |
| Succeeded by | David W. Evans |
| Judge of theDallas County District Court | |
| In office 2005–2007 | |
| Appointed by | Rick Perry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ada Elene Brown (1974-11-08)November 8, 1974 (age 51) Oklahoma City,Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Nationality | American Choctaw Nation |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Spelman College (BA) Emory University (JD) Duke University (LLM) |
Ada Elene Brown (born November 8, 1974) is a Native American lawyer and jurist serving as aUnited States district judge of theU.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. She was appointed in 2019 by PresidentDonald Trump. She is a former trial judge of theDallas County courts and a former Justice of theFifth Court of Appeals of Texas. She was the first Native American and African-American woman federal judge nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate.
Brown[1] was born on November 8, 1974, inOklahoma City,Oklahoma.[2][3] She graduated as avaledictorian of her high school class, where she was elected both sophomore and junior class president.[4] She graduated fromSpelman College in 1996 with aBachelor of Arts,magna cum laude, and from theEmory University School of Law in 1999 with aJuris Doctor.[3] Later in her career, she earned aMaster of Laws fromDuke University School of Law.[5]
Brown began her career practicingcriminal law. She served as a trial prosecutor at theDallas 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.[6] In 2005, Brown was one of 2.5% of attorneys under 40 selected by Super Lawyers magazine as a Rising Star in criminal prosecution.[6] Brown left theDallas County District Attorney’s office to become a district court judge.
After leaving the trial bench, Brown practiced as a civil litigator atMcKool Smith inDallas, Texas, where her practice focused on commercial litigation and patent infringement matters. She was an attorney in cases involving million dollar judgments.[6]
Brown was appointed byTexas GovernorRick Perry to serve as a Commissioner for theTexas 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 theTexas Department of Public Safety, one of 5 people responsible for overseeing a $2.3 billion biennial budget and 10,000+ employees, including theTexas Ranger Division as well as all state troopers in theTexas Highway Patrol.[7][better source needed]
Brown was a trial judge of theDallas County Criminal District Court, before departing for private practice.[6]
On September 3, 2013, GovernorRick Perry appointed her to serve as a Justice on theFifth Court of Appeals of Texas. Brown served there for six years, during which time she heard over 1,500 civil and criminal appeals.[6] She resigned from theFifth Court of Appeals of Texas upon her appointment to theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
On March 15, 2019, PresidentDonald Trump announced his intent to nominate Brown to serve as aUnited States district judge for theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.[5] On March 26, 2019, her nomination was sent to the Senate. Ada Brown was nominated to the seat vacated by JudgeTerry R. Means, who assumedsenior status on July 3, 2013.[8] On April 30, 2019, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[9] On June 13, 2019, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 18–4 vote.[10] On July 30, 2019, theUnited States Senate invokedcloture on her nomination by a 79–9 vote.[11] On September 11, 2019, her nomination was confirmed by an 80–13 vote.[12][13] She received her judicial commission on September 13, 2019.[14]
On August 21, 2024, Brown ruled in Ryan, LLC v. FTC that a proposed rule by theFederal 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.[15]
Brown is a member of theDaughters of the American Revolution, theMayflower Society, and theFederalist Society. Brown joinedAlpha Kappa Alpha sorority while atSpelman College. She is also a member of theChoctaw Nation of Oklahoma.[6][16][17]
| Legal offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Northern District of Texas 2019–present | Incumbent |