Jump to content

List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This list of the first women lawyers and judges in each state of the United States includes the years in which the women were admitted to practice law. Also included are women of other distinctions, such as the first in their states to graduate from law school.

Firsts nationwide

[edit]
Margaret Brent: first woman to act as an attorney in the United States (1648)
Arabella Mansfield: first woman admitted to practice law in the United States (1869)
Charlotte E. Ray: First African American female lawyer in the United States and Washington, D.C. (1872)
Lyda Conley: First Native American female lawyer in the United States (1902)

Law school

[edit]

See Law school in the United States

Lawyers

[edit]

See Women in law

Lawyers and the U.S. Supreme Court

[edit]

See Women in law

Law clerks

[edit]

See also Lists of law clerks of the Supreme Court of the United States

State judges

[edit]

See Women in the United States judiciary

Federal judges

[edit]

See Women in the United States judiciary

Attorneys General of the U.S.

[edit]

See United States Attorney General

Deputy Attorney General of the U.S.

[edit]

Associate Attorney General of the U.S.

[edit]

Solicitor General of the U.S.

[edit]

Deputy Solicitor General of the U.S.

[edit]

Assistant Attorney General of the U.S.

[edit]

State Attorneys General

[edit]

State Solicitor General

[edit]

United States Attorney

[edit]

Assistant United States Attorney

[edit]

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney

[edit]

State Assistant Attorney General

[edit]

State District Attorneys

[edit]

State Deputy District Attorney

[edit]

Federal Bar Associations

[edit]

See also List of presidents of the American Bar Association

State Bar Association

[edit]
  • First (African American) female to lead coed state bar: Gertrude Rush (1918) in 1921[58][59][65]
  • First female president of voluntary state bar: Carole Bellows in 1977[66][67]
  • First female president of mandatory/integrated state bar: Donna Willard-Jones from 1979-1980[68][69]
  • First open lesbian to serve as president of a statewide bar association: Joan Ellenbogen in 1980[70]
  • First Latino American female president: Mary Torres in 2002[71]
  • First Korean American female president: Esther H. Lim in 2018[72]
  • First South Asian female president: Sunitha Anjilvel in 2024[73]

Firsts in individual states

[edit]

Firsts in Washington, D.C.

[edit]

Firsts in the U.S. territories

[edit]

See also

[edit]

Other topics of interest

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Journal, A. B. A. "First female clerk to a federal appeals judge dies at 94". ABA Journal. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  2. ^ Journal, A. B. A. "A life of legal firsts—including romance and marriage". ABA Journal. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  3. ^ "Five Amazing Women Who Shattered The Glass Ceiling". www.ncbar.org. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  4. ^ "Doris Bray | Carolina Law Oral History Project". oralhistoriesproject.law.unc.edu. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "May/June 2022". Federal Bar Association. June 15, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  6. ^ "Reagan taps a woman for Justice post" (PDF). The Sunday Register. April 29, 1984.
  7. ^ Horwitz, Sari (May 28, 2017). "Former Bush official Rachel Brand takes over No. 3 position at Justice Dept". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  8. ^ Breslow, Jason (April 21, 2021). "Civil Rights Attorney Vanita Gupta Confirmed As Associate Attorney General". NPR.org. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
  9. ^ "Obama Names Law School Dean Solicitor General | News | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  10. ^ "Elena Kagan confirmed by U.S. Senate as first woman Solicitor General of the United States | Jewish Women's Archive". jwa.org. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Dean, John W. (June 2, 2015). The Nixon Defense: What He Knew and When He Knew It. Penguin. ISBN 9780143127383.
  12. ^ a b Chicago Woman Attorney Appointed UN Delegate. Johnson Publishing Company. September 21, 1972.
  13. ^ a b "Mankarious, Jewel Stradford Rogers Lafontant (1922-1997) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed". blackpast.org. March 28, 2009. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  14. ^ a b c Buchanan, Paul D. (2009). The American Women's Rights Movement: A Chronology of Events and of Opportunities from 1600 to 2008. Branden Books. ISBN 9780828321600.
  15. ^ "The Woman Assistant U.S. Attorney General and the Prisoner at Leavenworth, 1928-29". www.frederickcooksociety.org. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  16. ^ "Rose Ochi '59". UCLA Alumni. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  17. ^ "Rose Ochi, Japanese American trailblazer, dies at 81". Northwest Asian Weekly. January 14, 2021. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  18. ^ "Anne X. Alpern Is Dead; Ex-Pennsylvania Justice". The New York Times. February 4, 1981. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  19. ^ Weatherford, Doris (2012). Women in American Politics: History and Milestones. Los Angeles: CQ Press. pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-1-60871-007-2.
  20. ^ Rutgers, Center for American Women And Politics (accessed 5/23/2007) Archived May 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ "A Celebration of New Mexico's First Women Lawyers" (PDF). Presented by the New Mexico Women's Bar Association in Cooperation with the State Bar of New Mexico. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  22. ^ Bullis, Don (July 1, 2011). New Mexico Historical Biographies. BookBaby. ISBN 9781936744909.
  23. ^ García, Sonia R.; Martinez-Ebers, Valerie; Coronado, Irasema; Navarro, Sharon A.; Jaramillo, Patricia A. (June 3, 2009). Políticas: Latina Public Officials in Texas. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292779983.
  24. ^ Ltd, Earl G. Graves (March 1993). Black Enterprise. Earl G. Graves, Ltd.
  25. ^ "Essential Politics: Archived stories from December 2016". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  26. ^ "Maura Healey will be the nation's first openly gay AG - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  27. ^ "First Arab-American Muslim Woman Argues at U.S. High Court (1)". news.bloomberglaw.com. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  28. ^ a b "Trump Announces Sixth Wave of United States Attorney Nominations, Faces Questions About Lack of Women Nominees". The National Law Review. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
  29. ^ "Virginia Dill McCaty Papers, 1824-2003". INPerspective. 24 (2). Indianapolis: Indiana Historical Society: 14. March 2018.
  30. ^ "Jenny Durkan: Former U.S. attorney brings experience, high-powered allies, but also draws scrutiny". The Seattle Times. October 15, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  31. ^ "Jenny Durkan elected as first lesbian mayor of Seattle". Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights. November 8, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  32. ^ Zheng, Connie. "Chinese American Heroes - Attorneys" (PDF). Archived from the original on September 14, 2015.
  33. ^ "First Native American woman confirmed as federal judge". USA TODAY. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  34. ^ Lynne Harlan (November 23, 2007). "Native people gain a new role model". Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved February 22, 2008. [dead link]
  35. ^ "Do the right thing, Dems: Confirm Humetewa, now". East Valley Tribune. November 19, 2007. Archived from the original on June 24, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
  36. ^ "Humetewa, Diane Joyce – Federal Judicial Center". www.fjc.gov.
  37. ^ Warikoo, Niraj. "Saima Mohsin to be 1st Muslim US attorney next month". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  38. ^ "Saima Mohsin RLAW '94 to Become First Muslim U.S. Attorney". Rutgers Law. February 1, 2021. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  39. ^ "Quadriplegic An Inspiration To All She Meets | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  40. ^ "Obituaries". Los Angeles Times. May 28, 1999. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  41. ^ "Obituaries in the News". AP NEWS. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  42. ^ "Judge J. Ben McInturff". Washington State Court of Appeals.
  43. ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (November 22, 1906). "The Rising son. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1896-19??, November 22, 1906, Image 3". The Rising Son. ISSN 2165-929X. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  44. ^ Abbott, Karen. ""Mrs. Sherlock Holmes" Takes on the NYPD". Smithsonian. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
  45. ^ Wishart, David J. (2004). Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0803247877.
  46. ^ Godey's Magazine. Godey Company. 1896.
  47. ^ Wishart, David J. (2004). Encyclopedia of the Great Plains. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 9780803247871.
  48. ^ Smith, J. Clay Jr. (1999). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 9780812216851.
  49. ^ Goodwin, Joanne; England, Kathleen J. (March 2011). "Pioneering Women in Nevada Law" (PDF). Nevada Lawyer.
  50. ^ Johnston, Robert (March 2011). "NEVADA'S FIRST LADIES OF LAW" (PDF). Nevada Lawyer: 18–27.
  51. ^ "Anne Thompson: Inspired by Parents, 'I Loved Every Job I Had' | United States Courts". www.uscourts.gov. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  52. ^ "Five Things You Didn't Know About Gay San Diego - Out in San Diego - Winter-Spring 2010 - San Diego, Ca". www.sandiegomagazine.com. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
  53. ^ "Women's History Month: Camelia Valdes breaks barriers as first Latina prosecutor in New Jersey, first woman to become Passaic County prosecutor". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  54. ^ NJ.com, Jessica Remo | NJ Advance Media for (September 9, 2017). "First woman, minority Union County prosecutor steps down". nj. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  55. ^ "Grace H. Park". Council Korean Americans (CKA). Retrieved May 20, 2022.
  56. ^ "Deborah González Makes History in Georgia". Puerto Rico Report. December 13, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  57. ^ "Clara Foltz: California's First Woman Lawyer". California Courts Newsroom. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  58. ^ a b "Gertrude Rush, first Black female lawyer in Iowa | African American Registry". www.aaregistry.org. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  59. ^ a b Smith, John Clay (2000). Rebels in Law: Voices in History of Black Women Lawyers. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 9780472086467.
  60. ^ Flora Davis (May 12, 1999). Moving the Mountain. Internet Archive. University of Illinois Press. ISBN 978-0-252-06782-2.
  61. ^ "First woman president of National Bar Association installed | African American Registry". August 2, 2015. Archived from the original on August 2, 2015. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  62. ^ "Clarice Baright | Jewish Women's Archive". jwa.org. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  63. ^ Women Lawyers' Journal. Women Lawyers' Club. 1919.
  64. ^ "Chris Dickerson, first Black Mr. America, dies at 82". TheGrio. January 12, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  65. ^ Rush became the President of the Iowa Colored Bar Association in 1921.
  66. ^ "Chief Judge Evans begins series of sweeping changes throughout the court system". Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  67. ^ Bellows was the President of the Illinois State Bar Association which is considered a voluntary bar association.
  68. ^ Carter, Terry (May 2003). Barrister in the Backwoods. American Bar Association.
  69. ^ Willard-Jones was the President of the Alaska Bar Association, which is considered a unified state bar (mandatory/integrated).
  70. ^ "History | NYWBA". www.nywba.org. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  71. ^ Garcia, Elizabeth (August 2013). "Mary Torres: First Hispanic Secretary of the ABA" (PDF). New Mexico Lawyer.
  72. ^ "Esther Lim to Serve as D.C. Bar President-Elect". Finnegan | Leading Intellectual Property (IP) Law Firm. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  73. ^ "Washington State's Sunitha Anjilvel Becomes first South Asian Female President of a State Bar Association". wsba.org. Retrieved April 10, 2025.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_first_women_lawyers_and_judges_in_the_United_States&oldid=1351440252"