Cristal C. Brisco (born 1981)[1] is an American lawyer who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana since 2024. She previously served as a judge of the St. Joseph County Superior Court from 2021 to 2024.

Cristal C. Brisco
Hon. Cristal C. Brisco
Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
Assumed office
January 26, 2024
Appointed byJoe Biden
Preceded byTheresa Lazar Springmann
Judge of the St. Joseph County Superior Court
In office
June 3, 2021 – January 26, 2024
Appointed byEric Holcomb
Succeeded byChristopher Fronk
Personal details
Born
Cristal Michelle Clark

1981 (age 42–43)
Merrillville, Indiana, U.S.
EducationValparaiso University (BA) University of Notre Dame (JD)

Education

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Brisco received a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Valparaiso University in 2002 and a Juris Doctor from the Notre Dame Law School in 2006.[2]

Career

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Brisco began her career as an associate at Barnes & Thornburg where she worked from 2006 to 2013. From 2013 to 2017, she served as corporation counsel for the City of South Bend during Mayor Pete Buttigieg's Administration.[3][4] From 2017 to 2018, she was general counsel to Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame. From 2018 to 2021, she served as a magistrate judge on the St. Joseph County Circuit Court in Mishawaka, Indiana. On June 3, 2021, she was appointed by Governor Eric Holcomb to serve as a judge of the St. Joseph County Superior Court in South Bend, Indiana[5] and concurrently served as a judge on the Indiana Commercial Court from 2022 to 2024.[2]

Federal judicial service

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On November 15, 2023, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Brisco to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.[2] On November 27, 2023, her nomination was sent to the Senate. President Biden nominated Brisco to the seat vacated by Judge Theresa Lazar Springmann, who assumed senior status on January 23, 2021.[6][7] On December 13, 2023, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee.[8] On January 3, 2024, her nomination was returned to the president under Rule XXXI, Paragraph 6 of the United States Senate[9] and she was renominated on January 8, 2024.[10] On January 18, 2024, her nomination was reported out of committee by a 14–7 vote.[11][12] On January 24, 2024, the Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 68–29 vote.[13] Later that day, her nomination was confirmed by a 67–32 vote.[14][15] She received her judicial commission on January 26, 2024.[16] She became the first Black woman to sit as a judge on the federal court serving northern Indiana.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Questionnaire for Judicial Nominees" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "President Biden Names Forty-Second Round of Judicial Nominees" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.   This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ "South Bend Black History Month Celebration 2022". February 24, 2022.
  4. ^ "Brisco named St. Joseph Superior Court judge". June 21, 2021.
  5. ^ "Cristal Brisco '06 J.D. appointed as St. Joseph Superior Court judge". The University of Notre Dame Law School. June 7, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  6. ^ "Brisco, Lund nominated to IN Northern District Court". The Indiana Lawyer. November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  7. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. November 27, 2023.
  8. ^ "Nominations". Washington, D.C.: United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. December 12, 2023.
  9. ^ "PN1157 — Cristal C. Brisco — The Judiciary". congress.gov. January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  10. ^ "Nominations Sent to the Senate" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: The White House. January 3, 2024.
  11. ^ "Results of Executive Business Meeting – January 18, 2024" (PDF). United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  12. ^ "Senate Judiciary Committee Advances Twenty Judicial Nominations, One Executive Nomination to the Full Senate" (Press release). United States Senate Judiciary Committee. January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  13. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: Cristal C. Brisco to be U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Indiana)". United States Senate. January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  14. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: Cristal C. Brisco, of Indiana, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of Indiana)". United States Senate. January 24, 2024. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  15. ^ Raymond, Nate. "US Senate confirms two Biden judicial nominees in Republican-led states". Reuters. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  16. ^ Cristal C. Brisco at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a publication of the Federal Judicial Center.
  17. ^ "Two Valpo grads nominated to fill judicial vacancies". November 15, 2023.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
2024–present
Incumbent