Leaders Learn Here: Bernice Donald, Former Senior Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

As a senior at Olive Branch High School, Bernice Donald faced a “hostile environment” because she and her classmates had recently integrated the school.

“The principal wouldn’t let guidance counselors give any of the Black kids information on going to college or getting scholarships,” Donald recalled.

But she knew about Memphis State University, so she applied and was accepted. Then came the preview visit for accepted students.

“I was one of 10 kids and the first of my siblings to go to college; I didn’t have a mentor I could ask about this experience,” she said.

She figured college must be a lot like church, so her mother made her a “beautiful, pink, high-bodice dress.” Her parents got dressed up as well, and they all headed to campus.

“People all around us were in jeans; we felt like aliens,” Donald said. “But I was so proud to be there. I was transported by my experience at the University of Memphis. It lifted me beyond my circumstances and introduced me to a world I didn’t even know existed.”

Donald graduated with a degree in sociology in 1974 and from the UofM Law School in 1979. She worked for both Memphis Area Legal Services and the Public Defender’s Office before beginning her history-making judicial career.

She was the first Black woman in the state to be elected a General Sessions Criminal Court judge and the first Black woman in the country to become a U.S. bankruptcy judge. In 1985, she was nominated to the federal bench; in 2011, President Obama nominated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, where she was also the first Black woman to serve. She retired from the bench in 2023 and is still deeply involved with both the University and its Law School.

“At the University of Memphis, you can get a first-class, high-quality, economically accessible education,” Donald said. “We are competitive by every metric and are still the best ticket in the region.”