Ghanaian-American among US President’s judicial nominees awaiting Senate hearing
Ms. Abudu was nominated on January 10, 2022, and is currently awaiting a hearing from the US Senate Committee.
Nancy Gbana Abudu, an American Lawyer, born to Ghanaian parents, is among US President Joe Biden’s nominees to serve as a Circuit Judge for the United States Federal Court of Appeal.
Ms. Abudu was nominated on January 10, 2022, and is currently awaiting a hearing from the US Senate Committee.
Her nomination was described by one professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, as one which was notable.
“She will also bring experiential and ideological diversity to the court and help counter the six extremely conservative judges whom (then-President Donald) Trump confirmed to that court,” Carl Tobias, University of Richmond School of Law professor was quoted to have said in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Her work and advocacy have mainly focused on voting rights, an area of expertise a senior adviser on judicial nominations for NAACP, Leslie Proll, described as a welcome addition to the court.
She is also touted to be the first African-American female judge to sit on the court's bench if confirmed.
“The President’s nominee for the United States Court of Appeals or the Eleventh Circuit, Nancy Gbana Abudu, would be the first African-American woman judge ever to sit on the Eleventh Circuit, the second woman of color ever to sit on that court, and only the third African-American judge ever to sit on that court. She would also be the first person of color to serve on the Eleventh Circuit from Georgia,” a White House statement said announcing her nomination.
Ms. Abudu received her Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from Tulane University School of Law in 1999 and a B.A. from Columbia University in 1996.
She is the Deputy Legal Director and interim Director for strategic litigation at the Southern Poverty Law Center, an American legal advocacy NGO, specializing in civil rights and public interest litigation.
She was previously the Legal Director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida from 2013 to 2018 and Senior Staff Counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union Voting Rights Project from 2005 to 2013.
Ms. Abudu also served as a staff attorney for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit from 2002 to 2004. She was an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP from 1999 to 2001.