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List of first women lawyers and judges in Tennessee

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This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Tennessee. 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

  • Lutie Lytle (1897):[1] First African American female admitted to practice law in Tennessee. She relocated soon afterwards to Kansas.
  • Marion Scudder Griffin (1907):[2] First female lawyer to practice law in Tennessee
  • Frances Wolf (1907):[3] First female lawyer to argue before the Tennessee Court of Civil Appeals
  • Kate M. Drake:[4][5] First female judge in Tennessee (1931)
  • Martha Craig Daughtrey (1968):[6] First female to sit on the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals and Tennessee Supreme Court. She was also the first female lawyer in Nashville’s U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as the first female to serve as a prosecutor in Tennessee's state courts and become a tenure-track female professor at Vanderbilt Law School.
  • Bernice B. Donald (1979):[7] First African American female judge in Tennessee (1982)
  • Pamela L. Reeves (1979):[8] First female appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee (2014)
  • Lisa Niddifer Rice (1987):[9] First female Criminal Court Judge of the First Judicial District Carter County, Tennessee

Firsts in local history

Alphabetized by county name

  • Tammy Harrington (1994):[10] First female judge in Blount County, Tennessee
  • Joyce Ward:[11] First female judge in Hamblen County, Tennessee (1978)
  • Marguerite Lanham (1936):[12] First female in Chattanooga, Tennessee admitted to the U.S. District Court (Hamilton County, Tennessee; 1939)
  • Sue Shelton White:[13] First female lawyer in Jackson, Tennessee Madison County, Tennessee
  • Nancy Smith Sellers (1950):[14] First female lawyer in Murfreesboro, Tennessee Rutherford County, Tennessee
  • Nell Sanders Aspero (1933):[15] First female lawyer in Memphis, Tennessee Shelby County, Tennessee
  • Ann Pugh (1976):[16] First female judge in Shelby County, Tennessee
  • Jane Franks:[17] First female judge in Wilco, Tennessee Williamson County, Tennessee

See also

References

  1. ^ Smith, John Clay (2000-01-01). Rebels in Law: Voices in History of Black Women Lawyers. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0472086464.
  2. ^ "Marion Scudder Griffin Collection". memphislibrary.contentdm.oclc.org. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  3. ^ "Frances Wolf | Jewish Women's Archive". jwa.org. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
  4. ^ "Dekalb County | Counties | Counties | History | TN History for Kids". www.tnhistoryforkids.org. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  5. ^ "County Spotlight: DeKalb County" (PDF). County Officials E-News. November 2016. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  6. ^ Robertson, Suzanne Craig (August 2003). "Judge Martha Craig "Cissy" Daughtrey to Receive Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award: This 'Uppity Woman' has Made a Difference in Tennessee Justice". Tenn. B.J. 39: 16.
  7. ^ Wilson, J. C. (August 2005). Giant Word Search Puzzle Book of Notable Black Firsts and Facts. iUniverse. ISBN 9780595347285.
  8. ^ "Obama nominates new U.S. judge for East Tennessee". timesfreepress.com. May 2013. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  9. ^ Staff, News (2014-09-03). "First female judge in the 1st judicial district takes the bench". WCYB. Retrieved 2018-01-05. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  10. ^ Butler, Iva (June 3, 2011). "Gov. Haslam swears in Tammy Harrington as first female judge in Blount County". The Daily Times. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  11. ^ "In Memoriam, Joyce Ward". Citizen Tribune. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  12. ^ "A NEWS MEMO FOR MEMBERS of the U.S. DISTRICT COURT HISTORICAL SOCIETY" (PDF). Eastern District of Tennessee. March 2015. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  13. ^ "Suffragist Sue Shelton White honored in Jackson". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
  14. ^ "Class Notes". University of Virginia School of Law. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  15. ^ "Women at Rhodes: 75 Years & Counting" (PDF). Fall 1996. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  16. ^ Staff, WMCActionNews5.com. "First female judge in Shelby Co. dies at 70". Retrieved 2018-01-03.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ Blanton, Shari Lacy • Photos by Brandy. "Juvenile Court Judge Sharon Guffee". Southern Exposure Magazine. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
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