With a unanimous vote of 90-0, the U.S. Senate appointed Mississippi State University alumna Debra Brown as the new U.S. District Judge presiding over north Mississippi. Brown is the first African-American female U.S. District Judge in Mississippi. Brown fills the position previously held by U.S. District Judge W. Allen Pepper Jr. who passed away in 2012.
The importance of her appointment lies not only in the racial boundaries that are torn down but also in her incredible work ethic. In an article by the Associated Press on GulfLive.com, a “thrilled” and “honored” Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker said Brown has worked hard in all areas of her career so far.
“Ms. Brown is a proven trailblazer,” he said.
Wicker said Brown’s record proves her hard-working nature and paints her as a politician who cares about the public.
“(She has a) record of professional excellence, integrity and public service,” he said.
Wicker also said he is excited to have an architect as a judge.
“(Greenville is) in desperate need of a new state-of-the-art courthouse,” he said.
MSU President Mark Keenum told Leah Bureau in an MSU news release that many MSU alumni have had successful judicial careers. MSU alumnus Bill Waller Jr. currently resides as Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court. Three of the nine justices who reside on the Mississippi Supreme Court are MSU graduates.
Though Brown works in politics, she did not study political science, pre-law or any subject typically associated with politics at MSU. Brown actually received her bachelor degree in architecture in 1987, and she made an impact in the department of architecture during her time at MSU.
She still serves on the School of Architecture Advisory Council. Michael Berk, director of the School of Architecture, said Brown focuses on students and keeping them first on the council.
“Debra Brown’s impact on the School of Architecture Advisory Council mostly centered on issues related to student scholarships and support,” he said. “She was, and still is, a strong advocate for students.”
Berk said though architecture is not a subject directly linked to politics, Brown’s success working with law and politics builds on the foundation of her architecture education.
“The pedagogy of architectural design education emphasizes and teaches organizational principles and hierarchical skills, enabling a student to rationally and logically analyze and solve complex problems — both socially and technically. It also balances this rationalism with intuition and compassion,” he said. “This type of renaissance knowledge (and unique balance of science and art) is of paramount importance in most fields and disciplines.”
Berk said with an education in architecture, the possibilities are endless. There are MSU architecture graduates in filmmaking, computer design with Apple, teaching, set design, graphic design, working with PBS and working with national major league baseball teams, just to name a few.
After Brown graduated from MSU, she began to work in the field of architecture and, ultimately, landed a job in Washington, D.C. There she worked on a myriad of projects involving commercial, residential and historical renovation work.
Brown then came back to Mississippi to pursue a law degree at the University of Mississippi and finished the degree in 1997. After graduation, much of her work included civil litigation and construction-related issues that tied back to her architectural education. Brown worked at several firms in Jackson as a partner at Phelps Dunbar and as a shareholder at Wise Carter Child & Caraway.
If Brown’s future in the Supreme Court follows the same trajectory as her professional life thus far, she will take Mississippi nowhere but up.
