Overview:
President Biden has nominated Melissa DuBose for an opening on U.S. District Court in Providence, less than 24 hours after U.S. Sens. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse recommended her in a joint statement.
DuBose, who was nominated as a state district court judge by then-Gov. Gina Raimondo in 2018, would be the first person of color and the first LGBT person to serve as a U.S. District Court judge in Rhode Island.
“We commend President Biden for nominating Judge DuBose for this seat on the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island,” Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse said in a statement. “Judge DuBose is a champion of justice who will strengthen the federal bench.”
The rapid action on DuBose’s selection comes after months of speculation about who would fill a pending vacancy created by Judge William E. Smith’s announcement that he will retire from active service and take on senior status on Jan. 1, 2025.
“We appreciate the talented and skilled Rhode Islanders who came forward to express an interest in serving on the federal bench,” Reed and Whitehouse said in a joint statement Tuesday. “We were impressed by the strong, diverse applicant pool and the talent, character, and commitment to public service demonstrated by the accomplished set of candidates.”
The senators added: “Judge DuBose is exceptionally qualified to serve on the federal bench with honor, integrity, and distinction. Not only does Judge DuBose possess a wealth of experience and a strong legal background, but she has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to justice and the rule of law. She has proven herself to be someone who administers justice fairly and impartially, and has led efforts to make the court system work better for everyone it serves. We believe she has the intellect, temperament, skill, and judgment to join the District Court, and will follow the proud tradition of justice and decency that all of Rhode Island’s federal judges exhibit.”
DuBose grew up in the Mount Hope section of Providence and didn’t initially plan on a legal career, after graduating from Shea High School in Pawtucket, according to a profile in the alumni magazine of Providence College: “When you’re poor but you live in a community with family and support, you don’t realize that you’re poor,” DuBose said. “And that’s how it was growing up in Mount Hope in the 1970s.”
She pursued law school at Roger Williams University law school and later worked in the attorney general’s office, and as legal counsel for a French energy company.
DuBose faces confirmation by the U.S. Senate.
Political reporter Ian Donnis can be reached at idonnis@thepublicsradio.org
