Judge Constance T. O'Bryant

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Judge O'Bryant has been an Administrative Law Judge with the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) since July 1994. In that capacity, she hears and decides cases involving housing discrimination; debarment or limited denial of participation of HUD contractors; mortgagees and mortgagors; and of the imposition of civil money penalties. She has also heard cases involving discrimination in other programs. Before coming to HUD, Judge O'Bryant was a judge with the Social Security Administration (SSA). She was appointed an SSA Administrative Law Judge in 1981. From 1983 to 1990 she was an Administrative Appeals Judge with that same organization. In October 1990, she left SSA for a brief time to serve as an Administrative Law Judge with the Departmental Appeals Board, Department of Health and Human Services. She returned to SSA in April 1991 as Acting Deputy Chief Administrative Law Judge, where she remained until joining HUD.

Judge O'Bryant has had extensive experience with instruction of law school students in clinical programs at the Harvard Law School, John Marshall Law School, and Law School of the University of the District of Columbia. She has also been a judge at numerous moot court competitions.

Judge O'Bryant was born in Southwest Virginia and attended high school in Lunenburg County, Virginia. She obtained a B.A. in 1964 from Howard University's undergraduate program and a J.D. in 1971 from the Howard University School of Law. After graduating from law school, Judge O'Bryant spent ten years as a trial attorney with the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where she earned a reputation as a skilled and talented trial attorney.

Judge O'Bryant is the mother of two daughters: Taylora, born in 1974, and Kristal, born in 1976. She has resided in Washington, D.C. since 1964.