Sometimes an opportunity comes when you least expect it—even if you knew it was meant for you all along. When the Honorable Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore was offered the nomination to the federal bench, it came as a shock not because she didn’t think she wasn’t qualified – because she knew she was – but because she was on the nominating committee herself!
Judge Gilmore is a U.S. District Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1994, and was confirmed by the Senate that same year. At the time of her appointment and confirmation, Judge Gilmore, a black woman and graduate from Hampton University, was the youngest sitting federal judge in the country. And now, after a thrilling legal career spanning over forty years, the judge plans to retire from the bench and take on the next phase of her life.
Join Patrick and Femi as they hear about Judge Gilmore’s stunning career in the legal field, her dedication to public service and raising her son while maintaining a bustling legal docket. As a person who describes herself as "fabulous," they also get insight into Judge's views on staking one's “claim to fame” and living one's life to the fullest outside of their career.
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