Adrienne Camille Nelson (born 1967) is an American lawyer who is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. She previously served as a judge on the Multnomah County Circuit Court from 2006 to 2018 and a justice of the Oregon Supreme Court from 2018 to 2023.

Early life and career

Nelson was born in

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

, in 1967, and grew up in southwestern Arkansas. She graduated from

Gurdon High School Gurdon High School is an accredited comprehensive public high school serving students in grades six through twelve in the rural community of Gurdon, Arkansas, United States. It is one of three public high schools in Clark County and serves the ...

in Gurdon, Arkansas, in 1985. Nelson's mother successfully sued her school district to allow Nelson to be valedictorian after her high school initially named a white student with a lower GPA to be valedictorian instead. Nelson graduated ''summa cum laude'' from the University of Arkansas in 1990, with a BA in criminal justice and English. She completed a J.D. degree at the University of Texas School of Law in 1993. Nelson moved to Portland, Oregon, in 1993, to be closer to her mother, who had previously relocated to the state. Nelson was a contract analyst for an insurance company for two years. She then worked as an attorney in

private practice Private practice may refer to: *Private sector practice **Practice of law In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiati ...

in Portland as a

public defender A public defender is a lawyer appointed to represent people who otherwise cannot reasonably afford to hire a lawyer to defend themselves in a trial. Several countries provide people with public defenders, including the UK, Hungary and Singapore, ...

, with Multnomah Defenders Inc, a non-profit public interest law firm, from 1996 to 1999, and for the law firm Bennett, Hartman, Morris & Kaplan LLP from 1999 to 2004. Nelson was a senior attorney in Student Legal and Mediation Services for Portland State University from 2004 to 2006. Nelson served as an

adjunct professor An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, however the genera ...

at Lewis & Clark Law School from 2002 to 2005. Nelson has been a member of the American Bar Association House of Delegates and the ABA Commission on Disability Rights. She received the Oregon Women Lawyers (OWLs) Judge

Mercedes Deiz Mercedes Deiz (December 13, 1917 – October 5, 2005) was an Americans, American lawyer. She became the first African American, black woman admitted to the Oregon State Bar, and was also the first black woman to serve as a district court judge a ...

Award in 2003, and the Oregon State Bar President's Public Service Award in 2007. She has also served as president of the Multnomah Bar Foundation and president of the Oregon State Bar Foundation Board.

Judicial service

Oregon circuit court

Governor Ted Kulongoski appointed Nelson as a judge on the Multnomah County Circuit Court in February 2006, to replace Sidney Galton. She was re-elected to a new six-year term in 2012.

Oregon Supreme Court

Governor Kate Brown appointed Nelson to the Oregon Supreme Court in January 2018, to replace justice Jack Landau, who retired on December 31, 2017. Nelson's term on the Supreme Court ended in January 2019, but she was elected to a full six year term in November 2018. Nelson is the first African-American to serve on the Oregon Supreme Court, or on any state appellate court in Oregon.

United States district court

On July 14, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Nelson to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. President Biden nominated Nelson to the seat vacated by Judge

Michael W. Mosman Michael Wise Mosman (born December 23, 1956) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon. He served as Chief Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon from February 1 ...

, who assumed senior status on December 27, 2021. On October 12, 2022, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On December 1, 2022, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 12–10 vote. On January 3, 2023, her nomination was returned to the President under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate; she was renominated later the same day. On February 2, 2023, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 11–9 vote. On February 14, 2023, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 53–44 vote. On February 15, 2023, she was confirmed by a 52–46 vote. She received her judicial commission on February 23, 2023. She is the first African-American woman to serve on the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.

Personal life

Adrienne C. Nelson High School Adrienne is the French feminine form of the male name Adrien. Its meaning is literally "from the city Hadria." * Adrienne Albert (born 1941), composer * Adrienne Ames (1907–1947), American actress * Adrienne Armstrong (born 1969), wife of Gre ...

, named after Nelson, opened in 2021 in the North Clackamas School District.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Adrienne Camille 1967 births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American women lawyers 21st-century American judges 21st-century American women judges African-American history of Oregon African-American judges African-American women lawyers Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Oregon Justices of the Oregon Supreme Court Lawyers from Portland, Oregon Lewis & Clark College faculty Lawyers from Kansas City, Missouri Public defenders United States district court judges appointed by Joe Biden University of Arkansas alumni University of Texas School of Law alumni 20th-century African-American lawyers