White was born in rural
Mississippi and raised in a family of
cotton sharecroppers. White received her bachelor's degree from
Alcorn State University in 1973 and her master's degree from the
University of Southern California in 1982. White served in the
Milwaukee office of the
Social Security Administration before graduating from
Marquette University Law School in 1985. In 2019, a minority of Milwaukee County Judges petitioned the Wisconsin Supreme Court to prevent her being re-appointed to another term as Chief Judge, but the Supreme Court reaffirmed her appointment. In 2020, White was appointed to the
Wisconsin Court of Appeals by Governor
Tony Evers, a
Democrat, succeeding the retiring
Joan F. Kessler. Upon assuming office, White became the first African-American woman to serve on the Court of Appeals. == References ==