Notre Dame Law School alumna Judge Cristal Brisco ’06 J.D. nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana

St. Joseph Superior Judge Cristal C. Brisco, a 2006 graduate of Notre Dame Law School, has been nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana by President Joe Biden.

“Judge Brisco has served our local community exceptionally well, and we extend our congratulations on her nomination,” said G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School. "She has been a wonderful mentor to many of our students, and we know that she will excel as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.”

Brisco has served on the St. Joseph County Superior Court since 2021, and has concurrently served on the Indiana Commercial Court since 2022. Prior to this, from 2018-2021, she served as a magistrate judge for the St. Joseph County Circuit Court in Mishawaka, Indiana.

Her professional background also includes roles as the general counsel to Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, and as corporation counsel for the City of South Bend. She began her career as an associate at Barnes and Thornburg LLP where she worked for seven years.

Brisco has served on the Notre Dame Law Association Board for eight years, first as an affinity representative for Black law school alumni and currently as a member of the board's Executive Advisory Committee. Brisco was the recipient of Notre Dame Law School’s Black Law Student Association’s Alvin J. McKenna Alumnus of the Year Award in 2018 and 2021. She also served two terms on the advisory council of the The Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity (ICLEO) program.

Brisco earned her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School and her B.A. from Valparaiso University.