Colorado Law Professor Suzette Malveaux Could Become The First Black Woman Appointed To The 10 Circuit Federal Court

Suzette Malveaux | Photo: University of Colorado Law School By Chandra Thomas Whitfield ·April 8, 2021April 8, 2021

Suzette Malveaux. Her name might not ring a bell, but her face might. She’s sometimes mistaken for her twin sister with whom she bears a striking resemblance; Emmy award-winning CNN National Correspondent Suzanne. Malveaux, 54, of Denver, however, is a bonafide badass in her own right, in the world of law. There’s been recent buzz that the Harvard University and New York University Law-educated former civil rights attorney-turned-law-professor’s name may be being circulated by the Biden administration as a contender to fill one of two federal judgeship vacancies on the Tenth Circuit Federal Court, which covers Colorado, Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico and parts of Oklahoma. 

If selected, her appointment would likely be historic. “She would not only be the first Black woman to sit on the Tenth Circuit, but also the first individual who identifies as LGBTQ+ [to do so],” says Boston University School of Law Professor Angela Onwuachi-Willig, of Malveaux, who previously made the shortlist for a federal judgeship during President Obama’s tenure. (Malveaux and her partner and fellow professor Catherine Smith were recently named a “power couple” byColorado Public Radio.)

Suzette Malveaux | Photo courtesy of subject

“Representation matters. And as important, if she were appointed to the Tenth Circuit, the insights that she would bring from her experiences as a Black [LGBTQ+] woman could help shed light on issues that may otherwise be invisible to her peers on the court,” says Onwuachi-Willig. “She is incredibly smart and talented and would [also] bring a wonderful combination of both scholarly insights and practical experience to the job.”

Malveaux, mom to an adult daughter Nailah (now back living at home due to the pandemic) and “dog mom” to their puppy Sojourner aka “Soji,” has been tight-lipped about being considered, but as the only

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