Deborah was born in Columbia, South Carolina on March 5, 1959. She graduated magna cum laude (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of South Carolina (B.A. 1981) and the University of South Carolina School of Law (J.D. 1984) where she was a member of the Orders of the Wig and Robe and The Order of the Coif.
She was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 1984, United States District Court, District of South Carolina in 1989, United States Court of Appeal, 4th Circuit in 1987, and the Supreme Court of the United States, 2000. She served as a law clerk for South Carolina Circuit Judge Thomas J. Ervin 1985-1986 and for Honorable William W. Wilkins, Jr., Judge, United States Court of Appeals 4th Circuit 1986-1989. She is a member of the South Carolina and American Bar Associations. She is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell. Her areas of practice are appeals in State and Federal Courts, insurance coverage, and research projects.
