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 "excerpt": "Cristal C. Brisco, born 1981 in Merrillville, Indiana, is a US district judge for the Northern District of Indiana since 2024, the first Black woman to serve on that court.",
 "snippet": "Cristal C. Brisco, born 1981 in Merrillville, Indiana, is a US district judge for the Northern District of Indiana since 2024, the first Black woman to serve on that court.",
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 "markdown": "# Cristal C. Brisco\n\nCristal C. Brisco (born 1981) is an American jurist serving as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana since 2024.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> She was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> She is the first Black woman to serve as a judge on that court.<sup>[2](https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/u-s-senate-confirms-nd-law-school-alumna-cristal-brisco-as-federal-judge/)</sup>\n\n| Fact | Detail |\n| --- | --- |\n| Court | U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> |\n| Appointed by | Joseph R. Biden<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> |\n| Confirmed | January 24, 2024 (Senate voted 67 to 32)<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> |\n| Born | 1981 in Merrillville, Indiana<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> |\n| Education | B.A., Valparaiso University, 2002; J.D., Notre Dame Law School, 2006<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> |\n\n## Early life and education\n\nBrisco was born in 1981 in Merrillville, Indiana.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> She earned a B.A. from [Valparaiso University](https://www.edgepedia.org/valparaiso-university) in 2002 and a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School in 2006.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> She has served on the Notre Dame Law Association Board for eight years, first as an affinity representative for Black law school alumni and later as a member of the board's Executive Advisory Committee.<sup>[2](https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/u-s-senate-confirms-nd-law-school-alumna-cristal-brisco-as-federal-judge/)</sup>\n\n## Legal career\n\nBrisco began her career in private practice in [South Bend, Indiana](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-bend-indiana), from 2006 to 2013.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> A Notre Dame Law School account of her career identifies her private-practice employer as Barnes & Thornburg LLP.<sup>[2](https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/u-s-senate-confirms-nd-law-school-alumna-cristal-brisco-as-federal-judge/)</sup> She then served as corporation counsel for the city of South Bend from 2013 to 2017.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> From 2017 to 2018 she was general counsel for The Corporation of St. Mary's College in Notre Dame.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup>\n\nIn 2018 Brisco became a magistrate judge of the Indiana Circuit Court, Sixtieth Judicial Circuit, serving until 2021.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> In 2021, Governor Eric Holcomb appointed her as a judge of the St. Joseph County Superior Court, Civil Division, in South Bend, where she served from 2021 to 2024.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> She also served as a judge of the Indiana Commercial Court from 2022 to 2024.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup>\n\n## Federal judicial service\n\nBrisco was first nominated to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana on November 27, 2023; no Senate vote occurred on that nomination.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> She was renominated on January 8, 2024.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> The Senate confirmed her on January 24, 2024, by a vote of 67 to 32.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> She received her commission on January 26, 2024.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)</sup> The Northern District of Indiana covers courts in South Bend, Fort Wayne, Hammond, and Lafayette.<sup>[2](https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/u-s-senate-confirms-nd-law-school-alumna-cristal-brisco-as-federal-judge/)</sup>\n\n## Notable cases\n\nIn January 2025, Brisco issued an opinion and order in *Rodriguez v. Lerch* in the South Bend Division of the Northern District of Indiana, a case brought by Enedeo Rodriguez, Jr., a prisoner proceeding without a lawyer. The case included a motion asking Brisco to recuse herself.\n\n## References\n\n1. [Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges: Cristal C. Brisco](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13761456)\n2. [U.S. Senate confirms ND Law School alumna Cristal Brisco as federal judge](https://law.nd.edu/news-events/news/u-s-senate-confirms-nd-law-school-alumna-cristal-brisco-as-federal-judge/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Law and justice › Courts and legal practice › Legal biographies › United States judges › US federal judges › Article III judges (district and appellate) › United States district court judges › Surnames Bl to By*\n\n*Initially written Sep 27, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 29, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Sep 29, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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 "speakable": "Cristal C. Brisco, born 1981 in Merrillville, Indiana, is a US district judge for the Northern District of Indiana since 2024, the first Black woman to serve on that court."
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