Zinora M. Mitchell-Rankin (born April 16, 1956) is a
senior judge
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at least ...
on the
Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Education and career
Mitchell-Rankin earned her
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
from
Spelman College in 1976 and her
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from
George Washington University Law School
The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest top law school in the national capital. GW Law offers the largest range of cou ...
in 1979.
After graduating, she joined the
Justice Department
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
as a trial attorney.
D.C. Superior Court
President
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
nominated Mitchell-Rankin on September 29, 1989, to a 15-year term as an associate judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to the seat vacated by
Reggie Barnett Walton. On November 16, 1989, the
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is the chief oversight committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to the Department of Homeland Security and other homeland s ...
held a hearing on her nomination. On November 17, 1989, the Committee reported her nomination favorably to the Senate floor. November 19, 1989, the full
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
confirmed her nomination by
voice vote
In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...
. Mitchell-Rankin served as an associate judge from until January 12, 1990 until February 29, 2012.
As of 2019, she serves as a
senior judge
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges. To qualify, a judge in the federal court system must be at least 65 years old, and the sum of the judge's age and years of service as a federal judge must be at least ...
on the court.
Personal life
Mitchell-Rankin was born and raised in
Washington D.C. She is married to fellow D.C. Superior Court judge
Michael Rankin and they have four children.
See also
*
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell-Rankin, Zinora
Living people
George Washington University Law School alumni
Spelman College alumni
Judges of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia
American women judges
1956 births