List of first women lawyers and judges in Indiana explained

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

Lawyers

• First female: Elizabeth Eaglesfield (1875)^[1]
• First female to practice law after appealing to the Indiana Supreme Court: Antoinette Dakin Leach (1893)^[2]
• First African American female: Helen Elsie Austin (1930)^[3]
• First Asian American female (Filipino descent): Lourdes Dellota Alba (1966)^[4]

State judges

• First female: Ella Groninger in 1919
• First female (elected): V. Sue Shields in 1964^{[5] [6] [7]}
• First female (county court): Linda Lucille Chezem in 1975^[8]
• First African American female: Phyllis Senegal (1975)^[9]
• First female (Indiana Court of Appeals): V. Sue Shields in 1978
• First female (circuit court): Linda Lucille Chezem in 1982
• First (African American) female (Indiana Supreme Court): Myra C. Selby (1995)^[10]
• First female (Chief Justice; Indiana Supreme Court): Loretta Rush in 2014^[11]
• First females (Commercial court): Maria Grainger and Heather A. Welch in 2016^[12]

Federal judges

• First female (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana): Sarah Evans Barker (1969)^{[13] [14]}
• First African American (female) (U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana): Tanya Walton Pratt (2010)^[15]
• First female (Bankruptcy Court; U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana): Robyn Moberly (2012)^[16]
• First African American (female) from Indiana (United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit): Doris Pryor (2022)^[17]
• First African American (female) (U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana): Cristal C. Brisco in 2024^[18]

Attorney General of Indiana

• First (African American) female: Pamela Carter from 1993-1997^{[19] [20]}

Public Defender

• First (African American) female: Harriette Bailey Conn in 1970^[21]

United States Attorney

• First female (U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana; full term): Virginia Dill McCarty (1977) from 1977-1981^[22]
• First female (Northern District of Indiana; Acting): Tina L. Nommay in 2021^[23]

Assistant United States Attorney

• First female: Sarah Evans Barker (1969) in 1972

Bar Association

• First female president (Indiana State Bar Association): Jeanne S. Miller in 1988^[24]
• First female president (Indianapolis Bar Association): Mary Y. Marsh in 1988^[25]
• First African American female president (Indianapolis Bar Association): Cynthia J. Ayers in 2006^[25]

Firsts in local history

• Carina Warrington (1915):^[26] First female lawyer in Allen County, Indiana
• Karen E. Richards:^[27] First female to serve as the Prosecutor for Allen County, Indiana
• Lisa Swaim:^[28] First female judge in Cass County, Indiana (2019)
• Clementine Barthold (1980):^[29] First female judge in Clark County, Indiana
• Judith Dwyer (1963):^[30] First female judge in Daviess County, Indiana (1987)
• Derexa Savage King (1951):^[31] First female lawyer in Dubois County, Indiana
• Beth Ann Butsch:^[32] First female lawyer and judge (2010) in Fayette County, Indiana
• Susan Orth:^[33] First female judge in Floyd County, Indiana (2004)
• Edith Eulalia Hendren (1921):^[34] First female lawyer in Greene County, Indiana
• Dena Benham Martin:^[35] First female judge in Greene County, Indiana
• AmyMarie Travis:^[36] First female appointed as a Judge of the Superior Court of Jackson County (2018)
• Cynthia S. Emkes (1985):^[37] First female judge in Johnson County, Indiana (1987)
• Diane Kavadias Schneider:^[38] First female magistrate in Lake County, Indiana (1993)
• Susan Hemminger:^[39] First female judge in LaPorte County, Indiana
• Kimberly Kiner: First African American female judge in LaPorte County, Indiana
• Linda Lucille Chezem: First female to serve as a Judge of the Lawrence County Court, Indiana (1975)
• Hentietta Trisch Willkie (1897):^[40] First woman admitted to the bar in Madison County.
• Angela Warner Sims:^[41] First female circuit judge for Madison County, Indiana (2012)
• Ella Groninger:^[42] First female judge in Marion County, Indiana (1919)
• Z. Mae Jimison:^[43] First African American female appointed as a Judge of the Superior Court in Marion County, Indiana (1988)
• Cynthia J. Ayers:^[44] First African American female elected as a Judge of the Superior Court in Marion County, Indiana (1991)
• Heather A. Welch:^[45] First (female) commercial court judge in Marion County, Indiana (2016)
• Karen E. Bravo:^[46] First African American (female) to serve as the Dean of Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law (2020)
• Janette Surrisi:^[47] First female judge in Marshall County, Indiana (2024)
• Helen Hironimus:^[48] First female lawyer in Mount Vernon, Posey County, Indiana
• Frances Tilton Weaver (1925):^[49] First female lawyer in Porter County, Indiana
• Shelli Wright Johnson (1979):^[50] First female lawyer in Portage, Indiana [Porter County, Indiana]
• Mary Harper:^[51] First female to serve as the Deputy Prosecutor and Chief Deputy Prosecutor (1975-1981), a Superior Court Judge (1984), and a Judge of the Circuit Court (1996) in Porter County, Indiana
• Lisa M. Traylor-Wolff (1986): First female lawyer in Pulaski County, Indiana
• Maxine E. Ryer Miller (1922):^[52] First female lawyer in St. Joseph County, Indiana
• Elizabeth Fletcher Allen (1938):^[53] First African American female lawyer in St. Joseph County, Indiana
• Stephanie Steele:^{[54] [55]} First African American female to serve as President of the St. Joseph County Bar Association (2019)
• Graciela Olivarez:^[56] First (Latino American) female to graduate from Notre Dame Law School (1970) [<nowiki/>[[St. Joseph County, Indiana]]]
• Helen M. Gougar (1895):^[57] First female lawyer in Tippecanoe County, Indiana
• Tamar Althouse Scholz (1893):^{[58] [59] [60]} First woman to practice law in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, Indiana. She was also the first woman to graduate (1892) from the Indiana University's Department of Law.
• Sue Ann Hartig:^[61] First female judicial officer in Vanderburgh County, Indiana
• Mary Margaret “Maggie” Lloyd:^[62] First elected female judge in Vanderburgh County, Indiana (2000)
• Elizabeth "Bessie" Jane Eaglesfield (1875): First woman in Indiana admitted to the bar, Vigo County Circuit Court, September 8. 1875.
• Barbara Brugnaux:^{[63] [64]} First female judge in Vigo County, Indiana
• Amy Catherine Cornell:^[65] First female appointed as a Judge of the Wabash County Superior Court, Indiana (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 Indiana

Notes and References

1. Web site: Indiana Female "Firsts" In the Legal Profession. Judicial Branch of Indiana. October 6, 2016.
2. Book: The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis. Bodenhamer. David J.. Barrows. Robert G.. 1994-11-22. Indiana University Press. 0253112494. en.
3. Book: The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Cayton. Andrew R. L.. Sisson. Richard. Zacher. Chris. 2006-11-08. Indiana University Press. 0253003490. en.
4. Book: Batas at Katarungan. 1982. University of the Philippines Law Center. en.
5. Selby. Myra C.. 1999. EXAMINING RACE AND GENDER BIAS IN THE COURTS: A LEGACY OF INDIFFERENCE OR OPPORTUNITY?. Indiana Law Review. 32. 4 .
6. 1939-01-17. Vivian Sue (Blodgett) Shields. Notable Alumni.
7. Elected to the Hamilton County Superior Court. See Seager, p. 18.
8. 1946-09-29. Linda Lucille Chezem. Notable Alumni.
9. Web site: Indianapolis Recorder 20 December 1975 — Hoosier State Chronicles: Indiana's Digital Historic Newspaper Program. newspapers.library.in.gov. 2018-01-09.
10. Web site: Courts in the Classroom: Justice Myra Consetta Selby. www.in.gov. en. 2018-01-20.
11. Web site: Indiana's first female chief justice is named. Associated Press. South Bend Tribune. en. 2018-12-27.
12. Web site: Indiana's Commercial Court Pilot Project – March 2016 Update . 2024-07-09 . times.courts.in.gov.
13. Web site: Barker confirmed as judge. newspaperarchive.com. 2018-02-02.
14. Web site: Judicial Bios. www.indybar.org. 2019-06-28.
15. News: Tanya Walton Pratt named Indiana's first African-American federal judge. III. AMOS BROWN. Indianapolis Recorder Newspaper. 2018-01-09. en.
16. Web site: Shrake . Alexa . 2024-07-02 . First female bankruptcy judge focused on opportunity, not adversity . 2024-07-03 . The Indiana Lawyer . en-US.
17. Web site: Doris Pryor, IU grad, will be the first Black judge from Indiana to join Seventh Circuit . 2022-12-07 . www.yahoo.com . en-US.
18. Web site: Figueroa . Ariana . 2024-01-29 . In milestones, Black women from South Carolina and Indiana confirmed as federal judges ⋆ Michigan Advance . 2024-01-30 . Michigan Advance . en-US.
19. http://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&tbo=1&q=Thurbert+Baker+1952&btnG=Search+Books#sclient=psy&hl=en&tbs=bks:1&q=Carter+was+born+Pamela+Lynn+Fanning+on+August+20%2C+1949&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&pbx=1&fp=cc7216a82c53364 Contemporary Black Biography, Volume 67, p. 12.
20. https://books.google.com/books?id=f20v23TpqUQC&q=Pamela+Carter+attorney+1959 Jennifer M. York, Who's Who Among African Americans.
21. Web site: Harriette Vesta Baily Conn, '55, Was IU McKinney's First African-American Female Graduate: Law School News: Robert H. McKinney School of Law: IUPUI. IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law. en-US. 2019-06-22.
22. March 2018. Virginia Dill McCaty Papers, 1824-2003. INPerspective. Indianapolis. Indiana Historical Society. 24. 2. 14.
23. Web site: Nommay first woman to lead Northern Indiana U.S. Attorney's Office. 2022-02-05. The Indiana Lawyer. en-US.
24. Seager, Sharon Hannum. Summer 2003. A Century of Change: Indiana's Women Lawyers. Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History. Indianapolis. Indiana Historical Society. 15. 3. 18.
25. Web site: Our History.
26. Web site: NEWS-SENTINEL GUEST COLUMN: Allen County courts history dates back 195 years. news-sentinel.com/. en-US. 2019-10-08.
27. Web site: Richards says she'll seek fifth term as prosecutor Local Journal Gazette. www.journalgazette.net. 2019-06-27.
28. Web site: Swaim becomes county's first female judge. Wolf. James D.. December 20, 2019. Pharos Tribune.
29. News: FIrst female Clark Co. judge passes away. TEGNA. WHAS11. 2018-01-04. en-US.
30. Web site: Former Daviess County judge dies. Grant. Mike. Washington Times Herald. en. 2018-12-27.
31. Web site: Award recognizes students' writings. Dubois County Herald. 2019-06-29.
32. Web site: Hon. Beth Ann Butsch Indiana Court Times. en-US. 2018-12-27.
33. Web site: Judge Susan Orth decides not to seek re-election. [e-mail]. CHRIS MORRIS. News and Tribune. en. 2020-06-02.
34. Web site: FIRST WOMAN LAWYER IN GREENE COUNTY. October 6, 1921. www.ancestry.com. en-US. 2018-02-11.
35. News: Martin fulfills dream by becoming county's first female judge. 2008-11-06. Greene County Daily World. 2018-01-06. en.
36. Web site: Governor appoints county prosecutor to bench. Richart. Jordan. Seymour Tribune. 19 May 2018. en-US. 2018-12-07.
37. News: Driven for justice. Holtkamp. Michele. Daily Journal. 2018-02-08. en-US.
38. Writer, S. (1993, September 15). Community. <em>Times, The (Munster, IN)</em>. Available from NewsBank: Access World News: https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/16A61C1C5FB26910.
39. Web site: Kimberly Kiner Obituary - 2017 - Indianapolis, IN - Afterlife. afterlife.co. 2018-01-06.
40. Seager, p. 15.
41. Web site: Angela Warner Sims sworn in as judge. Hirsch. Stuart. 2012. Herald Bulletin. en. 2018-12-27.
42. News: Woman Special Judge Refuses Man Divorce. South Bend News-Times. 1919-10-14. 2019-02-27. 12. 2377-7095.
43. Web site: Women's History Month (2015): Z. Mae Jimison (1943–2008). 2015. Indiana Commission for Women.
44. Book: Indiana Law Review. 1997. Indiana University School of Law. IUPUI University Library.
45. Web site: 2023-10-25 . Judge Heather Welch retiring from Marion County bench, continuing career in the law - THE INDIANA CITIZEN . 2024-08-12 . en-US.
46. Web site: Celebrate Black History Month with Dean Karen E. Bravo Southern District of Indiana United States District Court . 2022-03-16 . www.insd.uscourts.gov.
47. Web site: 2024-07-19 . Gov. Holcomb announces judicial appointments for Marshall and Grant Counties . 2024-08-06 . The Indiana Lawyer . en-US.
48. Legal Directory - 2 Indiana Law Journal 1926–1927. Indiana Law Journal. 2. 215. 2017-10-16.
49. January 1, 1994. The Amicus: Winter 1994. Alumni Magazine: The Amicus. Valparaiso University School of Law.
50. Web site: Family Law Attorney Portage, IN. www.shelliwrightjohnson.com. 2017-09-26.
51. Web site: Commissioners to name courtroom after retiring Circuit Court Judge Mary Harper. chestertontribune.com. 2020-01-08.
52. News: The SJCBA Occasional. 2016-05-02. Welcome to the St. Joseph County Bar Association. 2017-09-26. en-US.
53. News: Local African American History. The History Museum. 2017-10-14. en-US.
54. Web site: 'Woman of Steele': St. Joseph County Bar Association set to elect first black female president. ABC57. en. 2019-07-17.
55. Web site: St. Joseph County Bar Association. August 11, 2019.
56. Web site: GRACIELA OLIVAREZ: 1928–1987 . 2022-03-08 . New Mexico Historic Women Marker Initiative . en-US.
57. Web site: Teacher Guide for "My Place is in the Voting Booth: Hoosier Suffragette Helen M. Gougar".
58. News: Timeline. 2017-09-26. en.
59. 1872. Tamar (Althouse) Scholz. Digital Repository @ Maurer Law. en.
60. Seager, p. 16.
61. Web site: Phenomenal Women recognized - University of Southern Indiana. www.usi.edu. 2019-07-17.
62. Web site: Judge Mary Margaret "Maggie" Lloyd Selected as a CCO "Outstanding Community Service" Award Winner City-County Observer. en-US. 2019-10-08.
63. News: A place that gave them so much: Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Loughlin. Sue. October 22, 2015. Terre Haute Tribune Star. 2018-01-06. en.
64. News: Judge Brugnaux seeking another term in Superior Court. Greninger. Howard. Terre Haute Tribune Star. 2018-02-09. en.
65. Web site: Your News Local Amy Catherine Cornell Becomes Third Wabash County Superior Court Judge in History. Weaver. Wade. Your News Local. en-US. 2018-12-27.