Joyce Vance

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Joyce Alene Vance (born Joyce White on July 22, 1960) is an American lawyer who served as the United States attorney for the Northern District of Alabama from 2009 to 2017. She was one of the first five U.S. attorneys named by President Barack Obama and the district’s first woman in that role.

Early life and education
- Born in St. George, Utah, and raised in Monterey Park, California.
- Earned a BA from Bates College in 1982, magna cum laude.
- Earned a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1985.

Career before becoming U.S. attorney
- Practiced law in private practice in Washington, DC.
- Joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama in 1991.
- Spent a decade in the Criminal Division, handling cases including the Eric Rudolph bombing investigation.
- Prosecuted five Boaz, Alabama police officers for Conspiracy to Violate Civil Rights.
- Moved to the Appellate Division in 2002 and became Chief of the Division in 2005.

U.S. attorney (2009–2017)
- Nominated by President Obama on May 15, 2009; unanimously confirmed by the Senate on August 7, 2009; sworn in August 27, 2009.
- Served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys and co-chaired its Criminal Practice Subcommittee.
- Led the district’s first material support of terrorism case (Ulugbek Kodirov) and pursued cybercrime, creating a dedicated cyber prosecutions unit.
- Focused on public corruption, criminal justice reform, and community partnerships to reduce violence and aid reentry for former inmates.
- Built a federal-state-local law enforcement coalition to fight heroin and opioid overdoses; oversaw large-scale drug trafficking prosecutions and proactive prevention efforts.
- Challenged Alabama’s HB 56 immigration law in 2011; parts were blocked by the courts, with a broader settlement in 2013.
- Addressed voting rights concerns, including settlement related to Motor Voter Act compliance and access for voters with disabilities.
- Initiated a statewide prison reform effort with civil rights leaders and the Department of Justice.
- Prioritized fraud cases, including Medicare fraud settlements with several health care providers and a major disaster-fraud crackdown after the 2011 tornadoes.

Post-government work
- In April 2017, joined the University of Alabama School of Law as a Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in Law (teaching criminal justice reform, criminal procedure, and civil rights).
- Became a national media contributor for MSNBC in 2018, frequently commenting on high-profile legal issues.
- Co-hosts the SistersInLaw podcast and collaborates on the Cafe Insider podcast.
- Launched the Civil Discourse newsletter in 2022, which has grown to a large readership.
- Serves on the bipartisan advisory board of States United Democracy Center.
- Joined the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law as a senior fellow in 2024.

Personal life
- Married to Bob Vance, a Jefferson County Circuit Court judge; they have four children.
- Mother-in-law is the late federal judge Robert S. Vance.
- She is Jewish, and she has shared interests in knitting and raising chickens.