Ada E. Brown

Ada Elene Brown (born November 8, 1974) is a Native American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States district judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. She was appointed in 2019 by President Donald Trump. She is a former trial judge of the Dallas County courts and a former Justice of the Fifth Court of Appeals of Texas. She was the first Native American and African-American woman federal judge nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate.

Early life and education Brown was born on November 8, 1974, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She graduated as a valedictorian of her high school class, where she was elected both sophomore and junior class president. She graduated from Spelman College in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, and from the Emory University School of Law in 1999 with a Juris Doctor.

Legal career

Criminal law practice

Brown began her career practicing criminal law. She served as a trial prosecutor at the Dallas County District Attorney's Office, where she tried over 100 jury trials to verdict as lead prosecutor. During this time, she became a felony trial prosecutor and prosecuted murders, rapes, kidnappings, and other felony crimes. She was known for taking on complex, technical cases. She specialized in prosecuting felony internet crimes against children. In 2005, Brown was one of 2.5% of attorneys under 40 selected by Super Lawyers magazine as a Rising Star in criminal prosecution.

Judicial career

State judicial service

Brown was a trial judge of the Dallas County Criminal District Court, before departing for private practice. On April 30, 2019, a hearing on her nomination was held before the Senate Judiciary Committee. On June 13, 2019, her nomination was reported out of committee by an 18–4 vote. On July 30, 2019, the United States Senate invoked cloture on her nomination by a 79–9 vote. On September 11, 2019, her nomination was confirmed by an 80–13 vote. She received her judicial commission on September 13, 2019.

Ryan, LLC v. FTC On August 21, 2024, Brown ruled in Ryan, LLC v. FTC that a proposed rule by the Federal Trade Commission to ban noncompete agreements was unlawful. The ban, which was set to take effect in September 2024, was ruled as "arbitrary and capricious", and an overstepping of the FTC's legal authority.

Memberships

Brown is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Mayflower Society, and the Federalist Society. Brown joined Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority while at Spelman College. She is also a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.