The Honorable Janice Rogers Brown Nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit     6/2/2005 Janice Rogers Brown is a well-regarded judge with more than eight years of experience on the California appellate bench. Background. Janice Rogers Brown is a well-regarded judge with more than eight years of experience on the California appellate bench. A majority of the ABA's Standing Committee found Justice Brown "qualified" for appointment to the D.C. Circuit. Justice Brown currently serves as an Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court, a position she has held since May 1996. She is the first African-American woman to serve on the state's highest court, and was retained with 76 percent of the vote in her last election. Before her appointment and confirmation to the California Supreme Court, Justice Brown served from 1994-96 as an Associate Justice on the Third District Court of Appeals, an intermediate state appellate court. Personal story. The daughter of sharecroppers, Justice Brown was born in Greenville, Alabama, in 1949. During her childhood, she attended segregated schools and came of age amid Jim Crow policies in the South. She grew up listening to her grandmother's stories about NAACP lawyer Fred Gray, who defended Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, and her experiences as a child of the South motivated her desire to become a lawyer. Her family moved to Sacramento, California, when Justice Brown was in her teens. She later received her B.A. in Economics from California State in Sacramento in 1974 and her J.D. from the UCLA School of Law in 1977. She worked her way through as a single mother. She has received honorary law degrees from Pepperdine University Law School, Catholic University of America School of Law and Southwestern University School of Law. A Career in Public Service. Justice Brown has dedicated all but two years of her 26- year legal career to public service. Prior to more than eight years as a judge in state courts, Justice Brown served from 1991-94 as Legal Affairs Secretary to California Gov. Pete Wilson (R), where she provided legal advice on litigation, legislation and policy matters. From 1987-90, Justice Brown served as the Deputy Secretary and General Counsel for the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, where she supervised the state banking, real estate, corporations, thrift and insurance departments. From 1979-1987, Justice Brown was a Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the California Attorney General, where she prepared briefs and participated in oral arguments on behalf of the state in criminal appeals, prosecuted criminal cases, and litigated a variety of civil issues. She began her career in 1977 and served two years as a Deputy Legislative Counsel in the California Legislative Counsel Bureau. Active in the Community. Justice Brown has participated in a variety of statewide and community organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life for all citizens of California: Served as a Member of the California Commission on the Status of African-American Males. Commission was chaired by now-U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-California), and made recommendations on how to address inequities in the treatment of African-American males in employment, business development and in the criminal justice and health care systems. Served on the Governor's Child Support Task Force, which reviewed and made recommendations on how to improve California's child support enforcement system. Served as a member of the Community Learning Advisory Board of the Rio Americano High School and developed the Academia Civitas program to provide government service internships to high school kids in Sacramento. Assisted in the development of a curriculum to teach civics and reinforce the values of public service. Volunteered time with the Center for Law-Related Education, a program that uses moot courts and mock trials to teach high school students how to solve everyday problems. Has taught adult Sunday school at the Cordova Church of Christ in Rancho Cordova for more than 10 years.