List of first women lawyers and judges in Florida explained

This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Florida. 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 graduate from law school or become a political figure.

Firsts in Florida's history

Law School

• First female law graduate: Mary Stewart Howarth-Hewitt (c. 1908)^[1]

Lawyers

• First female: Louise R. Pinnell (1898)^[2]
• First Hispanic American female: Elva Victoria Diaz (1932)^{[3] [4]}
• First African American female: Bernice Gaines (1958)^{[5] [6] [7]}
• First Bangladeshi American (female): Zubaida Iqbal (2014)^[8]
• First female openly autistic: Haley Moss (2019)^{[9] [10]}

State judges

• First female (judicial capacity): Bessie Bellinger in 1922^{[11] [12]}
• First female (judge): Edith Atkinson in 1924^{[13] [14]}
• First female (serve temporarily on the Florida District Court of Appeal and Florida Supreme Court) Rhea Grossman in 1971 and 1972 respectively^[15]
• First female (county court and circuit court): Susan H. Black in 1973 and 1975 respectively^[16]
• First female (appellate court): Anne C. Booth in 1978^{[17] [18]}
• First female (business court): Renee Roche in 2004^[19]
• First Hispanic American female (circuit court): Maria Korvick in 1981
• First African American female: Leah Simms (1974) in 1981^{[20] [21] [22]}
• First Cuban American female: Margarita Esquiroz (1974) in 1984^{[23] [24] [25]}
• First (Arab American and Hispanic American) female (Florida Supreme Court): Rosemary Barkett (1970) in 1985^[26]
• First female (Fourth District Court of Appeal): Bobby W. Gunther in 1986^{[27] [28]}
• First African American female (circuit court): Melvia Green in 1989^[29]
• First (Arab American and Hispanic American) female (Florida Supreme Court; Chief Justice): Rosemary Barkett (1970) in 1992
• First African American female (Second District Court of Appeal): Peggy Quince (1975) in 1993^[30]
• First Jewish American female (Florida Supreme Court): Barbara Pariente in 1997^[31]
• First African American female (Fourth District Court of Appeal): Carole Y. Taylor (1974) in 1998^[32]
• First African American female (Florida Supreme Court): Peggy Quince (1975) in 1998
• First African American female (Thirteenth Judicial Circuit): Marva L. Crenshaw in 2000
• First openly lesbian female (circuit court): Victoria Sigler in 2000^[33]
• First African American female (Fifth Circuit Court): Sandra Edwards-Stephens in 2000
• First Cuban American female (Second District Court of Appeal): Virginia M. Hernandez Covington (1980) in 2001^[34]
• First African American (female) (First Judicial Circuit): Joyce H. Williams in 2005
• First Colombian American (female): Catalina M. Avalos in 2005^[35]
• First Hispanic American (Cuban American) female (Third District Court of Appeals): Barbara Lagoa (1992) in 2006^[36]
• First Ethiopian American (female): Nina Ashenafi-Richardson in 2008^{[37] [38]}
• First African American female (Florida Supreme Court; Chief Justice): Peggy Quince (1975) in 2008
• First African American female (First District Court of Appeals): Nikki Clark in 2009^[39]
• First Colombian American (female) elected: Diana Gonzalez-Whyte in 2012^[40]
• First African American female (Second Judicial Circuit Court): Barbara Hobbs in 2012^[41]
• First Asian American [female] (Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida): Jeanette Dejuras Bigney in 2012^[42]
• First Cuban American female (Chief Circuit Judge; Eleventh Judicial Circuit): Bertila Soto (1986) in 2013^[43]
• First (Hispanic American) female (Twelfth Judicial Circuit): Maria Ruhl in 2019^[44]
• First Hispanic American (Cuban American) female (Florida Supreme Court): Barbara Lagoa (1992) in 2019
• First female (Chief Judge; Twelfth Judicial Circuit): Kimberly C. Bonner in 2019^[45]
• First Caribbean American (female) (justice-designate of the Florida Supreme Court until appointment was nullified): Renatha Francis in 2020^[46]
• First Haitian American (female) (Eleventh Circuit Court): Lody Jean in 2020^[47]
• First African American female (Seventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida): Alicia Washington in 2020^[48]
• First Colombian American (female) (Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida): Tarlika Nunez-Navarro in 2021^[49]
• First Filipino American (female): Melissa Cordon Black in 2022^[50]

Federal judges

• First female: Susan H. Black in 1979^[51]
• First African American female: Mary Scriven^[52]
• First African American (female) (Administrative Law Judge): Eleanor Hunter
• First female (United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida): Lenore Carrero Nesbitt (1960) in 1983
• First Cuban American female (United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida): Cecilia Altonaga (1983) in 2003^[53]
• First African American female (United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida): Marcia G. Cooke in 2004^[54]
• First Hispanic American (female) (U.S. Bankruptcy Court - Southern District of Florida): Corali Lopez-Castro in 2023^[55]

• First female: Pam Bondi (1990) in 2010^[56]

Assistant Attorney General of Florida

• First female: Rebecca Bowles Hawkins (1935) in 1948^[57]

United States Attorney

• First female (Middle District of Florida): Donna Bucella
• First Hispanic American female (Middle District of Florida): Maria Chapa Lopez in 2018
• First female (Southern District of Florida): Ariana Fajardo Orshan in 2018^{[58] [59] [60] [61]}

State Attorney

• First female: Janet Reno (1963) in 1978^[62]
• First Cuban American (female): Katherine Fernandez Rundle in 1994^[63]
• First African American (female): Aramis Ayala in 2016^{[64] [65]}

Assistant State Attorney

• First female: Susan H. Black in 1969

County Attorney

• First female: Annie Joe Law in 1928^{[66] [67]}

Public Defender

• First female: Barbara Linthicum (1989-1990)^{[68] [69]}

• First female president: Patricia A. Seitz from 1993-1994^[70]
• First African American female president-elect designate: Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes in 2024^[71]

Firsts in local history

• Stacy A. Scott:^[72] First female Public Defender of the Eighth Judicial Circuit (2010) [<nowiki/>[[Alachua County, Florida|Alachua]], Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union Counties, Florida]
• Susan C. Bucklew:^{[73] [74]} First female appointed as a Judge of the Hillsborough County Superior Court (1982) and circuit court judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Florida (1986)
• Lorelie P. Brannan:^[75] First female county court judge in Baker County, Florida (2022)
• Frances Ann Jamieson (1960):^[76] First female lawyer in Brevard County, Florida
• Cathleen B. Clarke:^[77] First African American (female) judge in Brevard County, Florida (1998)
• Angeline Weir (1960): First female County Solicitor in Broward County, Florida. She was also the first female President of the Broward County Bar Association (1983-1984).^[78]
• Mildred S. Akerman (1956): First female elected judge in Broward County, Florida (1959)
• Elizabeth Athanasakos (1957): First female municipal judge in Broward County, Florida (1964–1974)
• Barbara Bridge (1964): First female judge of the County Court in Broward County, Florida (1972)
• Mary Rudd-Robinson:^[79] First African American female judge in Broward County, Florida (1993)
• Florence Taylor Barner:^[80] First Haitian American (female) judge in Broward County, Florida
• Natasha DePrimo:^[81] First Asian American female judge in Broward County, Florida (2019)
• Alison Smith:^[82] First Black female to serve as the President of the Broward County Bar Association (2021)
• Cynthia Everett:^[83] First female (and African American) to serve as the City Attorney for Fort Lauderdale, Florida [Broward County, Florida]
• Pauline Drake:^[84] First African American female to serve on the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court (1998)^[85] [<nowiki/>[[Clay County, Florida|Clay]], Duval and Nassau Counties, Florida]
• Kristina Mobley:^[86] First female county judge in Clay County, Florida (c. 2015)
• Hixon Holley:^[87] First female judge in Collier County, Florida
• Maria Ruhl: First Hispanic American female (and Hispanic American in general) appointed as a Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit of Florida (2019) [<nowiki/>[[DeSoto County, Florida|DeSoto]], Manatee, and Sarasota Counties, Florida]
• Susan H. Black

First female to serve on the Duval County Court in Florida (1973-1975)

• Bessie Bellinger: First female to act in a judicial position in Escambia County, Florida (1922)
• Kathy Garner

First female (and African American) judge in Gadsden County, Florida (2009)

• Sheree H. Lancaster:^[88] First female judge in Gilchrist County, Florida
• Annie Joe Law: First female to serve as the County Attorney in Hernando County, Florida (1928)
• Heidi Davis:^[89] First female judge in Hernando County, Florida (2010). She is also the first female circuit court judge for Lake County, Florida.^[90]
• Linda J. Treiman (1976):^[91] First female lawyer in Brooksville, Florida [<nowiki/>[[Hernando County, Florida]]]
• Mae Wood (c. 1896):^[92] First female lawyer in Hillsborough County, Florida
• Carolyn House Stewart:^[93] First African American female to serve as the Assistant State Attorney of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit (1980) [<nowiki/>[[Hillsborough County, Florida]]]
• Arthenia Joyner (1969):^[94] First African American female lawyer in Hillsborough County, Florida
• Josephine Howard Stafford:^[95] First female to serve on the Municipal Court of Tampa, Florida (1958) [Hillsborough County, Florida]
• Vivian Corvo: First Hispanic American female circuit judge in Hillsborough County, Florida
• Marva Crenshaw: First African American female circuit judge in Hillsborough County, Florida
• Julianne Holt: First female Public Defender of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit [<nowiki/>[[Hillsborough County, Florida]]]
• Catherine McEwen: First female appointed as a U.S. bankruptcy judge in Tampa, Florida [<nowiki/>[[Hillsborough County, Florida]]]
• Marsha Rydberg: First female to serve as the President of the Hillsborough County Bar Association
• Susan Johnson Velez: First African American female to serve as the President of Hillsborough County Bar Association (2013-2014)
• Gwynne Young: First female to serve as the Assistant State Attorney in Hillsborough County, Florida
• Nicole Menz:^[96] First female judge in Indian River County, Florida (2018)
• Judith Hawkins:^[97] First African American (female) judge in Leon County, Florida
• Cassandra Jackson: First African American female to serve as the City Attorney for Tallahassee, Florida [<nowiki/>[[Leon County, Florida]]]
• Barbara Linthicum and Nancy Daniels: First female Public Defenders respectively for Leon County, Florida
• Edith Atkinson

First female judge in Dade County, Florida (1924)

• Gwen Cherry (1965):^[98] First African American female lawyer in Dade County, Florida
• Mattie Belle Davis

^[99] First female to serve on the Metropolitan Court of Dade County (1959), Florida

• Janet Reno (1963): First female to serve as a State's Attorney in Miami-Dade County, Florida (1978)
• Kathy Fernandez Rundle:^[100] First Cuban American (female) to serve as a State Attorney in Miami-Dade County, Florida (1993)
• Dixie L. Herlong Chastain: First female appointed as a judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court in Dade County, Florida. She was also the sixth female judge in Florida.
• Gill S. Freeman:^[101] First (female) judge assigned to Miami's then-newly established business court (2007)
• Bertila Soto:^[102] First Hispanic American/Cuban American (female) to serve as the Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, Florida (2013)
• Abigail Price Williams (1985):^[103] First female to serve as the County Attorney for Miami-Dade County, Florida (2015)
• Lody Jean

First Haitian American (female) to serve on the Miami-Dade County Court (2020)

• Suzanne Bass:^[104] First female judge in Nassau County, Florida
• Mary Sandefur Schulman (1943):^[105] First female lawyer in Okeechobee County, Florida
• Aramis Ayala:^[106] First African American (female) to serve as the State's Attorney of Orange County, Florida (2019)
• LaShawnda K. Jackson:^[107] First Black (female) President of the Orange County Bar Association (2021)
• Gabrielle Sanders:^[108] First African American female (and African American in general) judge in Osceola County, Florida (2019)
• Anne E'del Deacon: First female municipal judge in Palm Beach, Florida and fifth female judge in Florida [<nowiki/>[[Palm Beach County, Florida]]]
• Catherine Brunson:^[109] First African American female lawyer to work for the Palm Beach County Attorney’s Office (1977), set up a law practice (1984), and to serve on the Circuit Court in Palm Beach County (1994)
• Sheree Davis Cunningham:^[110] First African American female judge in Palm Beach County, Florida
• Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes:^[111] First African American female to serve as President of the Palm County Bar Association, Florida (2017)
• Meenu Sasser:^[112] First Asian American (female) judge in Palm Beach County, Florida
• Danielle Sherriff:^[113] First Haitian American (female) judge in Palm Beach County, Florida (2023)
• Debra Roberts:^[114] First African American (female) judge in Pasco County, Florida (2002)
• Elizabeth Martin Leeman:^[115] First female lawyer to join the faculty of Stetson University School of Law (1970) [<nowiki/>[[Pinellas County, Florida]]]
• Luz Nagle: First tenured Hispanic American (female) law professor at Stetson University College of Law (2004) [<nowiki/>[[Pinellas County, Florida]]]
• C. Bette Wimbish (1968):^[116] First African American female lawyer in Pinellas County, Florida
• Catherine Harlan:^[117] First female county judge in Pinellas County, Florida
• Miriam Irizarry: First Hispanic American female county court judge in Pinellas County, Florida
• Elizabeth Kovachevich: First female elected as a circuit judge in Pinellas County, Florida
• Michèle Alexandre:^[118] First African American (female) to serve as the Dean of Stetson University College of Law (2019)
• Arthenia Joyner:^[119] First African American (female) lawyer in Polk County, Florida
• Karla Foreman Wright: First African American female judge in Polk County, Florida (2000)
• Mada Fraser Babcock McLendon: First female municipal judge in Lake Wales, Florida and third female judge in Florida [<nowiki/>[[Polk County, Florida]]]
• Mary Kennerly Buckles: First female judge in Putnam County, Florida and second female judge in Florida
• Alicia Washington: First African American (female) judge to serve in Putnam County, Florida (2020)
• Donna Goerner:^[120] First African American female judge in Seminole County, Florida (2020)
• Peggy Elizabeth Ready:^[121] First female judge in St. Johns County, Florida as well as the county's first female assistant public defender
• Joan Anthony: First African American female to preside over a family court in St. Johns County, Florida (2021)
• Elsie O'Laughlin (1948):^[122] First female lawyer and judge in St. Lucie County, Florida
• Pamela Fort:^[123] First African American female lawyer in Fort Pierce, Florida [St. Lucie County, Florida]
• Renee Roche:^[124] First female Business Court judge appointed in the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Orlando, Florida (2004)
• Gill S. Freeman:^[125] First female Complex Business Litigation Division judge appointed in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade, Florida (2006)
• Lisa S. Walsh:^[126] First female International Commercial Arbitration Court judge appointed in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade, Florida (2017)

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 Florida

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2005 Inductees . 2022-03-10 . www.stetson.edu . en-US.
2. Web site: Celebrating Florida's first 150 women lawyers. www.floridabar.org. 2016-10-06.
3. Atencio . Dolores S. . 2023 . Luminarias: An Empirical Portrait of the First Generation of Latina Lawyers 1880-1980 . Chicana/o Latina/o Law Review . en . 39 . 1 . 10.5070/cllr.v39i1.61869 . 1061-8899.
4. The Florida Women's Bar Association mistakenly identified Marian Borros (1926) as the first Hispanic female lawyer in the state. It was determined by Atencio (2023) that Borros was actually of Danish-Swedish descent.
5. Web site: On Being the First: An Interview With Bernice Gaines. Angela. 2018-01-04. BlackHer.us. en-US. 2018-12-11.
6. Web site: Reno honors Florida's first women lawyers. The Florida Bar. en-US. 2018-12-11.
7. Web site: Pettis sworn in as president. The Florida Bar. en-US. 2018-12-11.
8. Web site: Law Offices of Zubaida Iqbal . 2022-03-10 . Bangladesh Circle . en-US.
9. Web site: Woman with autism admitted to Florida Bar, becoming "first openly-autistic lawyer," employer says. www.cbsnews.com. en-US. 2019-03-05.
10. Web site: She may be Florida's first lawyer with autism. And she's out to change lives and minds. USA TODAY. en. 2019-03-05.
11. Book: Women Lawyers' Journal. 1919. Women Lawyers' Club. en.
12. News: The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, February 25, 1922, Image 1. Humanities. National Endowment for the. The Pensacola Journal. 1922-02-25. 2019-02-27. 1941-109X.
13. News: Celebrating Florida's first 150 women lawyers. The Florida Bar. 2018-01-09.
14. Upon Atkinson's appointment as a Judge of the Juvenile Court of Dade County
15. Web site: Loquasto . Wendy . Spring 2004 . FAWL CHRONICLES: GENDER BIAS IN THE JUDICIAL SELECTION PROCESS THEN AND NOW . FAWL Journal.
16. Web site: 2003-03-03 . The history of The Jacksonville Bar Association Jax Daily Record . 2019-01-11 . Financial News & Daily Record - Jacksonville, Florida . en.
17. Web site: 2014-03-13 . Timeline of the life of Reubin Askew, 37th governor of Florida . 2019-01-11 . Tampa Bay Times . en-US.
18. Upon Booth's appointment to the First District Court of Appeal in Florida
19. Web site: Writer . MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press . First business court in Florida opens in Orlando . 2024-07-26 . The Star Banner . en-US.
20. News: Miami community activist Robert Simms dies at 87 in Alabama. miamiherald. 2018-01-09.
21. Dillard. Kalinthia R.. February 2014. African-American Women and the Judiciary: Past, Present, and Future. Bulletin (Palm Beach County Bar Association).
22. Upon Simms appointment as a Judge of the Dade County Superior Court in 1981
23. News: The Honorable Margarita Esquiroz Dies at 67. NBC 6 South Florida. 2018-01-12.
24. Web site: Miami Law Mourns Passing of Judge Margarita Esquiroz, JD '74 University of Miami School of Law. www.law.miami.edu. 2018-01-12.
25. Upon Esquiroz's appointment as a circuit judge in Dade County in 1984
26. Book: Dennis . Yvonne Wakim . A Kid's Guide to Arab American History: More Than 50 Activities . Addasi . Maha . 2013 . Chicago Review Press . 9781613740170.
27. News: Broward County Attorneys . BCBA . 2018-01-04.
28. Gunther also served as a Judge of the Circuit Court (1981–1986) and Judge of the County Court (1973–1981).
29. Web site: Florida Black History Facts – Commissioner of Education's African American History Task Force . 2020-03-06 . en-US.
30. Web site: Justices of the Florida Supreme Court - Justice Quince . 2018-01-09 . www.floridasupremecourt.org.
31. Web site: 2023-10-22 . Former state Supreme Court justice: Despite outrage over Hamas attack, honor the First Amendment . 2024-05-18 . WUSF . en.
32. Web site: District Court of Appeals Website - Judge Carole Y. Taylor . 2018-01-05 . www.4dca.org.
33. Book: Yeager, Ken . Trailblazers : profiles of America's gay and lesbian elected officials . 1999 . New York : Haworth Press . Internet Archive . 978-0-7890-0299-0.
34. News: Ledger . JASON GEARY The . COVINGTON BECOMES A FEDERAL JUDGE; RESIGNS STATE BENCH . The Ledger . 2018-01-19.
35. Web site: Colombian American Bar to honor Avalos . 2022-05-04 . The Florida Bar . en-US.
36. Web site: Staff . Digital . 2019-01-09 . First Hispanic woman appointed to Florida Supreme Court . 2019-01-09 . WEAR.
37. Web site: LEON COUNTY JUDGE NINA ASHENAFI-RICHARDSON TO RECEIVE DISTINGUISHED JUDICIAL SERVICE PRO BONO AWARD – The Florida Bar . 2022-03-12 . en-US.
38. Web site: Nina Ashenafi Richardson . 2022-03-12 . Florida Commission on the Status of Women . en.
39. Web site: Etters . Karl . Appellate Judge Nikki Clark resigning . 2020-03-05 . Tallahassee Democrat . en.
40. Web site: Judge Gonzalez-Whyte Set Sights on Law at Young Age . 2022-04-28 . Daily Business Review . en.
41. Web site: Church honors Tallahassee's black history pioneers in law and medicine. Tallahassee Democrat. en. 2020-03-05.
42. Web site: Judicial Spotlight Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida . 2023-06-15 . ninthcircuit.org.
43. News: Bertila Soto '86 named Chief Judge of Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida. FIU News. 2018-01-12.
44. Web site: Maria Ruhl, region's first Hispanic judge, sworn in. Anderson. Zac. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. en. 2019-01-29.
45. Web site: Election of the new Chief Judge in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court - Sarasota County Bar Association . 2019-03-04 . www.sarasotabar.com.
46. Web site: McLeod . Sheri-Kae . 2020-05-27 . Jamaican-born Renatha Francis Becomes the First Caribbean-American Appointed to Florida Supreme Court . 2022-03-12 . Caribbean News . en.
47. Web site: Torres . Andrea . 2020-04-17 . DeSantis appoints Haitian-American woman to Eleventh Judicial Circuit . 2022-05-04 . WPLG . en.
48. Web site: 2022-10-04 . Flagler's 'Victory Lap' as Circuit's 1st Black Women Judges Are Celebrated, With Pointed Sidebars . 2022-10-28 . FlaglerLive . en-US.
49. Web site: Nunez-Navarro appointed to Ninth Judicial Circuit court . 2022-05-04 . The Florida Bar . en-US.
50. Web site: Judge Melissa C. Black - Professional Background & Legal Expertise Trellis.Law . 2024-06-05 . trellis.law.
51. Upon Black's appointment as a Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
52. Web site: Tampa legal community celebrates its 'Hidden Figures' at luncheon . 2022-03-05 . Tampa Bay Times . en.
53. Web site: BEST LOCAL GIRL MADE GOOD: Cecilia Altonaga Best of Miami® 2003: Your Key to the City. Miami New Times. 2018-05-30.
54. Web site: USATODAY.com - First black woman federal judge in Florida sworn in . .
55. Web site: August 22, 2023 . Interview with the Honorable Corali Lopez-Castro, J.D. ’90 – Florida’s First Hispanic Bankruptcy Judge . 2023-08-28 . news.miami.edu . en.
56. News: Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi under consideration to replace Sessions. 2018-11-08. en.
57. Web site: 2012 Inductees - Rebecca Bowles Hawkins. Levin College of Law. en. 2018-12-13.
58. Web site: Whigham II . Julius . Pacenti . John . State Attorney Dave Aronberg won't seek U.S. attorney post for South Florida . 2022-04-15 . The Palm Beach Post . en-US.
59. News: Fajardo confirmed as first woman nominee to head U.S. Attorney office in South Florida . miamiherald . 2018-10-01.
60. News: Ser la primera mujer fiscal federal para el sur de la Florida es algo increíble para mí . es . diariolasamericas.com . 2018-10-01.
61. News: Weaver . Jay . Miami-Dade judge confirmed as first woman to head U.S. Attorney's office in South Florida . Sun-Sentinel.com . 2018-10-01.
62. Web site: How Janet Reno handled and bounced back from the biggest cases in her life. miamiherald. en. 2019-01-11.
63. Web site: Meet the State Attorney . 2024-05-21 . Office of Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle.
64. Web site: Black Florida state attorney Aramis Ayala pulled over in traffic stop, prompting outrage. USA TODAY. en. 2018-12-18.
65. Web site: Aramis Ayala becomes first black state attorney in Florida's history. Powers. Scott. 9 November 2016. en-US. 2018-12-18.
66. Web site: Celebrate Women Leading the Way Hernando Sun. www.hernandosun.com. en. 2020-02-27.
67. Web site: Book honors "the women everyone else forgot to talk about." Hernando Sun. www.hernandosun.com. en. 2020-02-27.
68. Web site: Thomas will succeed Daniels as public defender. Tallahassee Democrat. en. 2019-03-25.
69. Web site: Nancy Daniels has been a dedicated public servant. Tallahassee Democrat. en. 2019-03-25.
70. Web site: Florida Commission on the Status of Women Patricia Ann Seitz. en-US. 2019-01-02.
71. Web site: West Palm Beach attorney to become Florida Bar's first Black female president . 2023-12-27 . The Palm Beach Post . en-US.
72. Web site: Office of the Public Defender 8th Judicial Circuit. publicdefender.alachuacounty.us. 2019-03-25.
73. Web site: Hcba . 2015-03-15 . LAWYER MAGAZINE Online Edition: Special Feature: An Interview with the Hon. Susan C. Bucklew . 2018-12-24 . LAWYER MAGAZINE Online Edition.
74. Web site: 2007 Inductees . 2019-01-11 . www.stetson.edu.
75. Web site: THE INVESTITUTE OF LORELIE P. BRANNAN TO THE BAKER COUNTY COURT BENCH . 2022-10-28 . The Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida . en-US.
76. News: 1st Female Elected Judge Gets Honor. tribunedigital-orlandosentinel. 2017-10-16.
77. Web site: Clarice appointment good step toward equality in judiciary. May 29, 1998. Florida Today. en. 2020-03-12.
78. Web site: Past Presidents. 2021-08-04. BCBA. en-US.
79. Web site: Judge Mary Rudd-Robinson steps down from the bench after 27 years of dedicated service. thewestsidegazette.com. 2020-06-02.
80. Web site: Rosa . Braulio . 2022-02-02 . Judge Florence Taylor Barner Interview Black History 2022 . 2023-12-19 . BCBA . en-US.
81. Web site: 2019-07-11 . APABA of South Florida Congratulates Natasha DePrimo’s Appointment and Investiture to the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit’s County Court . 2024-02-24 . APABA of South Florida . en-US.
82. Web site: McLeod. Sheri-Kae. 2021-07-29. Jamaican-American Lawyer is First Black Female President of Broward County Bar Association. 2021-08-04. Caribbean News. en.
83. Web site: MEMORANDUM (RE: City Attorney Search Update: Recommended Candidates). April 12, 2019. City of Vero Beach.
84. Web site: 2020-03-04 . The Marbut Report: Judge Pauline Drake retires Jax Daily Record . 2020-03-15 . Jacksonville Daily Record - Jacksonville, Florida . en.
85. Upon Drake's appointment to the Duval County Court in 1998
86. Web site: Tia Mitchell: What lobbyist Joe Mobley and his new family taught me about covering politics. Mitchell. Tia. The Florida Times. en. 2019-01-11.
87. News: Women in The Florida Bar. The Florida Bar. 2018-02-11.
88. News: First female Gilchrist County judge sworn in Friday. WUFT News. 2018-01-06.
89. Web site: GROUNDBREAKING NEW JUDGE . 2024-08-06 . Tampa Bay Times . en.
90. Web site: Three sets of Circuit Court judicial candidates on the August ballot . 2024-08-06 . Ocala Gazette . en.
91. Web site: From early days, lawyers have led. Landers. Roger. April 30, 2007. www.sptimes.com. 2017-10-16.
92. News: Light shed on Tampa's "legal lights'. Hawes. Leland. August 4, 1996. Tampa Tribune. 8. 2018-02-16.
93. Web site: HAWL celebrates women pioneers . 2019-03-25 . The Florida Bar . en-US.
94. Web site: Arthenia Joyner to be first inductee of FAMU Law Hall of Fame - Florida Politics. floridapolitics.com. 20 November 2015. 2017-09-18.
95. News: City of Tampa to Celebrate Women's History Month. dp9q. 2017-03-15. City of Tampa. 2018-02-09.
96. Web site: Election results: Nicole Menz wins Indian River County judge seat. TCPalm. en. 2019-03-08.
97. Web site: City's Black history firsts honored at awards dinner – Capital Outlook. en-US. 2020-03-05.
98. Web site: Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association - Our History. gscbwla.org. 2018-02-08.
99. Book: The Florida Handbook 2007-2008. 2007-08-01. Peninsular Publishing. 9780976584612. en.
100. Web site: EXCERPT FROM CUBANS: AN EPIC JOURNEY, THE STRUGGLE OF EXILES FOR TRUTH AND FREEDOM LAWYERS AND JUDGES. Summer 2013. CABA.
101. Web site: Complex Business Litigation . 2024-08-12 . www.jud11.flcourts.org.
102. Web site: 2021-10-13. She made history as the first female first Hispanic Chief Judge.. 2022-02-23. en-US.
103. Web site: Miami-Dade County's first Black attorney retires; Monestime holds annual Black history luncheon; Florida Law Review elects first Black woman and more. The Miami Times. en. 2020-03-05.
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