List of first women lawyers and judges in South Dakota
Appearance
This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in South Dakota. It includes the year in which the women were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are women who achieved other distinctions such becoming the first in their state to obtain a law degree or become a political figure.
Firsts in state history
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/CynthiaEloiseCleveland1896.tif/lossless-page1-184px-CynthiaEloiseCleveland1896.tif.png)
Lawyers
- Cynthia Eloise Cleveland (1883):[1] First female admitted to the bar in the Dakota Territory
- Katie Rockford (1897):[2] First female to take the law examination before the South Dakota Supreme Court
- Blanche Colman (1911):[3] First female admitted to the State Bar of South Dakota
- Dorothy Rehfeld:[4][5] First female to practice before the federal courts of South Dakota
Judicial Officers
State
Judge
District Court
- Mildred Ramynke (1939):[6][7] First female appointed to the Fifth Judicial District in South Dakota (1975)
Supreme Court
- Judith Meierhenry (1977):[8][9][10] First female appointed as a Justice of the Supreme Court of South Dakota (2002)
Federal
- Karen Schreier:[11][12] First female appointed by a U.S. President to serve as a U.S. District Judge for the District of South Dakota (1999)
United States Attorney
- Karen Schreier:[11][12] First female to serve as the U.S. Attorney for South Dakota (1993)
Bar Association
- Stephanie Pochop and Pamela Reiter:[13] First females to serve consecutively as the President of the State Bar of South Dakota (2016-2017; 2017-2018)
Firsts in local history
Alphabetized by county name
Clay County
- Marjorie Breeden (1907):[14][15] First female to graduate from the University of South Dakota Law School in Clay County, South Dakota
Day County
- Mildred Ramynke (1939):[6][7] First female appointed as a Judge of the Fifth Judicial District (1975) [Day, Grant, Marshall and Roberts Counties, South Dakota]
Grant County
- Mildred Ramynke (1939):[6][7] First female appointed as a Judge of the Fifth Judicial District (1975) [Day, Grant, Marshall and Roberts Counties, South Dakota]
Marshall County
- Mildred Ramynke (1939):[6][7] First female appointed as a Judge of the Fifth Judicial District (1975) [Day, Grant, Marshall and Roberts Counties, South Dakota]
Pennington County
- Linda Lea M. Viken:[16] First female to serve as a Magistrate Judge for Pennington County, South Dakota
- Shawn Pahlke:[17] First female to serve as the Director of the Pennington County Public Defender’s Office, South Dakota
Roberts County
- Mildred Ramynke (1939):[6][7] First female appointed as a Judge of the Fifth Judicial District (1975) [Day, Grant, Marshall and Roberts Counties, South Dakota]
See also
- List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States
- Timeline of women lawyers in the United States
- Women in law
Other topics of interest
- List of first minority male lawyers and judges in the United States
- List of first minority male lawyers and judges in South Dakota
References
- ^ Women Lawyers' Journal. Women Lawyers' Club. 1919.
- ^ Kingsbury, George Washington (1915). South Dakota : its history and its people. S.J. Clarke Publishing Company.
- ^ Jewish Spectator. 1997.
- ^ Who's who in the Central States. Mayflower Publishing Company. 1929.
- ^ Robinson, Doane (1930). South Dakota, Sui Generis: Stressing the Unique and Dramatic in South Dakota History. American historical society.
- ^ a b c d e f "1st South Dakota woman who was county, circuit judge dies". Rapid City Journal. Associated Press. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
- ^ a b c d e f Grauvogl, Ann. "Lady of Justice". www.southdakotamagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
- ^ "A Family Affair". www.usd.edu. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
- ^ "First S.D. woman on the Supreme Court continues reading, writing in retirement". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
- ^ Quinlan, John. "Janklow appoints first woman to Supreme Court". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved 2018-11-11.
- ^ a b Congressional Record, V. 145, Pt. 11, July 1, 1999 to July 15, 1999. Government Printing Office.
- ^ a b "Federal judge garners piece of state history". Moody County Enterprise. Retrieved 2019-07-14.
- ^ "Movers & Shakers". Argus Leader. Retrieved 2019-01-05.
- ^ South Dakota Alumnus. Alumni Association, University of South Dakota. 1905.
- ^ Alpha Xi Delta. G. Banta. 1906. p. 160.
- ^ Institute, The American Law. "Members". American Law Institute. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
- ^ "SD judges receive Women in Law honors". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved 2019-01-03.