List of first women lawyers and judges in North Dakota explained

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

Firsts in North Dakota's history

Lawyers

• First female: Helen Hamilton (c. 1925)^[1]
• First female to argue before the North Dakota Supreme Court: Mildred Johnson (1939)^{[2] [3] [4]}

State judges

• First female (tribal judge for the Lakota on the Pine Ridge Reservation): Rose K. Ecoffey during the 1940s^{[5] [6] [7]}
• First female (North Dakota Supreme Court): Beryl J. Levine (1974) in 1985^[8]
• First female (district court): Cynthia A. Rothe-Seeger (1975) in 1988^[9]
• First female (Southwest Judicial District): Rhonda Ehlis in 2015^[10]
• First female (Southeast Judicial District): Cherie Clark in 2017^[11]

Federal judges

• First female (bankruptcy court): Shon Hastings in 2011^[12]

• First female: Heidi Heitkamp (1980) from 1993-2000

Political Office

• First female (U.S. Senate): Heidi Heitkamp (1980) in 2013^[13]

• First female president: Rebecca Thiem in 1996^[14]

Firsts in local history

• Rhonda Ehlis: First female appointed as a Judge of the Southwest Judicial District in North Dakota (2015) [Adams, Billings, Bowman, Dunn, Golden Valley, Hettinger, Slope and Stark Counties, North Dakota]
• Cherie Clark: First female judge appointed to the Southeast Judicial District [Barnes, Dickey, Eddy, Foster, Griggs, Kidder, LaMoure, Logan, McIntosh, Ransom, Richland, Sargent, Stutsman and Wells Counties]
• Cynthia A. Rothe-Seeger (1975): First female appointed as a Judge of the East Central Judicial District in North Dakota (1988) [Cass, Steele and Traill Counties, North Dakota]
• Beryl J. Levine (1974):^[15] First female to serve as the President of the Cass County Bar Association, North Dakota (1984)
• Haley Wamstad:^[16] First female elected as the state's attorney in Grand Forks County, North Dakota (2018)
• Robin A. Schmidt:^[17] First female district judge in McKenzie County, North Dakota (2013)
• Kirsten Sjue (2006):^{[18] [19]} First female judge in Williams County, North Dakota (2015)

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 North Dakota

References

1. Web site: 20th Annual Helen Hamilton Day. www.ndcourts.gov. 2016-10-06. 2013-10-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20131026022102/http://www.ndcourts.gov/court/news/HelenHamilton2002.htm. live.
2. Web site: Mildred Johnson, 96. Daily News & News Monitor. en. 2019-07-14. 2019-07-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20190714035411/https://www.wahpetondailynews.com/obituaries/mildred-johnson/article_17cb6c38-3f49-11e4-a168-df4a52423e68.html. live.
3. Web site: INFORUM: One of ND's first female lawyers reflects on career: North Dakota State College of Science (NDSCS) Wahpeton/Fargo. www.ndscs.edu. 2019-07-14. 2019-07-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20190714035411/https://www.ndscs.edu/news_events/news/5414. live.
4. Web site: Mildred Johnson, first woman to serve on ND higher education board, dies at age 96. Glass-Moore. Adrian. Sep 19th 2014 - 11pm. Forum News Service . The Dickinson Press. en. 2019-07-14. 2019-07-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20190714035417/https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/news/3494896-mildred-johnson-first-woman-serve-nd-higher-education-board-dies-age-96. live.
5. Book: Dowling, Timothy C. . Personal Perspectives: World War II . 2005 . ABC-CLIO . 9781851095759 . en . 2018-05-29 . 2022-03-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220327140019/https://books.google.com/books?id=7qvAUit5GmIC&pg=PA256 . live .
6. Book: The Michigan Historical Review . 1994 . Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University . en . 2018-05-29 . 2022-03-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220327140023/https://books.google.com/books?id=97FZAAAAMAAJ . live .
7. Book: Reyer . Carolyn . Cante ohitika win (brave-hearted women): images of Lakota women from the Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota . Medicine . Beatrice . Plume . Debra Lynn White . December 1991 . University of South Dakota Press . 9780929925141 . en.
8. Web site: Beryl J. Levine . 2018-01-09 . www.ndcourts.gov . en . 2017-10-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171023091449/http://www.ndcourts.gov/court/bios/Levine.htm . live .
9. Web site: Cynthia A. Rothe-Seeger, District Judge. www.ndcourts.gov. en. 2018-01-09. 2018-05-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20180528113142/http://www.ndcourts.gov/court/Bios/Rothe-Seeger.htm. live.
10. Web site: Ehlis, first female Southwest District judge talks life, experience.... Wernette. Andrew. 2017-11-16. www.thedickinsonpress.com. en. 2019-01-02. 2019-01-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20190103110231/https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/news/3828402-ehlis-first-female-southwest-district-judge-talks-life-experience-taking-gavel. live.
11. News: ND Judicial District to Swear in First Female Judge - KVRR Local News. Nelson. TJ. September 14, 2017. KVRR Local News. 2018-01-06. en-US. 2018-01-06. https://web.archive.org/web/20180106231741/http://www.kvrr.com/2017/09/14/nd-judicial-district-swear-first-female-judge/. live.
12. News: ND's federal bankruptcy court judge sworn in. 2018-01-10. en. 2018-01-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20180110174517/https://www.jamestownsun.com/content/nds-federal-bankruptcy-court-judge-sworn. live.
13. Web site: Election Night in North Dakota on KFYR-TV North Dakota's NBC News Leader. 2013-05-20. https://web.archive.org/web/20130520203954/http://kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=60275. 2018-11-19. 2013-05-20.
14. Web site: From Carbon Paper To The Cloud—50 Years Of Change - State Bar Association of North Dakota. www.sband.org. 2019-01-02. 2019-01-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20190103060047/https://www.sband.org/news/425697/From-Carbon-Paper-To-The-Cloud50-Years-Of-Change.htm. live.
15. Web site: Mother of Five Beryl Levine Cooks Up a Second Career—as a State Supreme Court Judge. PEOPLE.com. en. 2019-01-02. 2019-01-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20190103060100/https://people.com/archive/mother-of-five-beryl-levine-cooks-up-a-second-career-as-a-state-supreme-court-judge-vol-25-no-12/. live.
16. Web site: Haley Wamstad first woman elected as Grand Forks County state's.... Williams. Tess. 2018-11-10. www.grandforksherald.com. en. 2019-01-02. 2019-01-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20190103055730/https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/government-and-politics/4526668-haley-wamstad-first-woman-elected-grand-forks-county-states. live.
17. Web site: SCHMIDT BECOMES STATE'S NEWEST DISTRICT JUDGE. Ruggles. Kate. September 18, 2013. www.watfordcitynd.com. 2019-01-02. 2019-01-03. https://web.archive.org/web/20190103110156/http://www.watfordcitynd.com/latest-news/schmidt-becomes-statersquos-newest-district-judge/. live.
18. Web site: Kirsten M. Sjue, District Judge. www.ndcourts.gov. en. 2018-01-05. 2018-02-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20180218211442/http://www.ndcourts.gov/court/bios/sjue.htm. live.
19. News: Williston's own Sjue first female judge in Williams County. Hackenburg. Elizabeth. October 3, 2015. Williston Herald. en.