List of first women lawyers and judges in Tennessee explained

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 graduate from law school or become a political figure.

Firsts in Tennessee's history

Law School

Lawyers

State judges

Federal judges

Deputy Attorney General

Assistant Attorney General

United States Attorney

Assistant United States Attorney

Solicitor General

Firsts in local history

[52] First female judge in Rutherford County, Tennessee (2000)

[53] [54] First female to serve as a Judge of the Juvenile Court of Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee (1920)

See also

Other topics of interest

References

  1. Book: Smith, J. Clay Jr . Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944 . 1999 . University of Pennsylvania Press . 978-0-8122-1685-1 . en.
  2. Book: Smith, John Clay. Rebels in Law: Voices in History of Black Women Lawyers. 2000-01-01. University of Michigan Press. 0472086464.
  3. Lytle worked thereafter as an educator and librarian at Tennessee College.
  4. Web site: Marion Scudder Griffin Collection. memphislibrary.contentdm.oclc.org. 2018-02-08.
  5. Web site: Frances Wolf Jewish Women's Archive. jwa.org. 2017-10-17.
  6. News: First Woman Judge in the South. The Pioche Record. 1920-05-28. 2019-02-27. 2472-176X.
  7. Web site: Tennessee Women on the Bench: A History of Firsts Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts . 2022-03-03 . www.tncourts.gov.
  8. Web site: Willis . Hon Bernice B. Donald and LaFonda . Nevertheless, we persist: The history and progress of women in Shelby County judiciary Opinion . 2022-03-03 . The Commercial Appeal . en-US.
  9. 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.
  10. Web site: Tennessee judge's epic firsts are historic, unparalleled . 2019-01-03 . The Tennessean . en.
  11. Web site: Vanderbilt University Special Collections. 2008-12-10. library.vanderbilt.edu. en. 2019-02-27.
  12. Book: Wilson, J. C.. Giant Word Search Puzzle Book of Notable Black Firsts and Facts. August 2005. iUniverse. 9780595347285.
  13. Web site: President Obama Nominates Judge Bernice Bouie Donald for United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. 2010-12-01. whitehouse.gov. en. 2020-03-05.
  14. Judge Bernice Bouie Donald elected the First African American Female Judge in Tennessee’s history (1982). Donald went on to become the first African American female bankruptcy judge in the history of the United States of America in June 1988. Donald became the first African female judge to serve on the U. S. District Court, W. D. Tennessee in 1995 when President William Jefferson Clinton nominated her to the Court and she was confirmed by the U. S. Senate. In 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Donald to the U. S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit where she became the first African American female judge so serve on that Court. She was confirmed by the U. S. Senate by a vote of 96/2 in September 2011.
  15. News: Staff . News . 2014-09-03 . First female judge in the 1st judicial district takes the bench . WCYB . 2018-01-05.
  16. Web site: Penny White . 2022-03-03 . University of Tennessee College of Law . english.
  17. Web site: Milestones « Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association. benfjones.com. 2020-03-05.
  18. Web site: Voruganti . Harsh . 2020-09-09 . Twelve State Court Judges the Next Democratic President May Elevate to the Court of Appeals . 2023-07-03 . The Vetting Room . en.
  19. Web site: Wallace. Harriet. 2017-06-16. Nashville's first openly gay judge talks marriage, controversy. 2022-02-16. WZTV. en.
  20. Web site: 2017-06-03. General Sessions Judge Rachel Bell got married — and became the first openly bi-sexual elected judge in Tennessee. 2022-02-16. OutVoices. en.
  21. Web site: Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Elects Judge McMullen Presiding Judge Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts . 2023-07-03 . www.tncourts.gov.
  22. Web site: Country music legend Dolly Parton among inspiring Women of the Century on Tennessee list . 2022-03-03 . www.usatoday.com . en.
  23. News: Obama nominates new U.S. judge for East Tennessee. May 2013. timesfreepress.com.
  24. Web site: Knoxville lawyer Pamela Reeves nominated for federal judgeship. knoxnews.com. en. 2019-01-02.
  25. Web site: Ms. Patricia J. Cottrell Lawyer Profile on Martindale.com. martindale.com. 2018-12-15.
  26. Book: Clark Grad is State's 1st Female Asst. Atty. Gen.. 1974-11-07. Jet. en.
  27. Web site: Campbell. Becky. First woman becomes interim U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Tennessee. 2022-02-05. Johnson City Press. en.
  28. Web site: Recognizing the WDTN's First Female AUSA, Devon L. Gosnell, during Women's History Month. 2019-03-26. justice.gov. en. 2019-07-05.
  29. Web site: Andrée Blumstein: Law wasn't first choice for top TN lawyer. The Tennessean. en. 2018-12-15.
  30. Web site: Andree Blumstein '81 appointed Tennessee solicitor general. Vanderbilt University. en. 2018-12-15.
  31. Web site: Billie Roberta Bethel Obituary (1932 - 2017) Knoxville News Sentinel . 2022-06-15 . Legacy.com.
  32. Web site: Joycelyn Stevenson '01 to serve as 2016 president of the Nashville Bar Association . 2022-06-15 . Vanderbilt University . en.
  33. News: . Susan Marttala Appointed First Female District Attorney in the State of Tennessee . The Tennessean . 7 February 1990 . 57 .
  34. News: Gov. Haslam swears in Tammy Harrington as first female judge in Blount County. Butler. Iva. June 3, 2011. The Daily Times.
  35. Web site: Walker . Eddie . March 2, 2022 . Cocke County's First Woman Lawyer . 2024-04-12 . infoweb.newsbank.com.
  36. Web site: RESOLUTION NO. RS2004-378 . 2023-02-16 . legisarchive.nashville.gov.
  37. Web site: Commentary: Emerge Tennessee changes politics one woman at a time . 2024-06-07 . The Daily Herald . en-US.
  38. Web site: 2018-09-10. Newsmaker: Nashville's first Latina Judge Ana Escobar. 2022-02-22. WKRN News 2. en-US.
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  41. Web site: County Spotlight: DeKalb County. November 2016. County Officials E-News.
  42. News: In Memoriam, Joyce Ward. Citizen Tribune. 2018-02-09.
  43. Web site: 2022-01-19 . Ardena Garth-Hicks To Speak At Scenic City Women's Network Luncheon Jan. 27 . 2024-06-07 . www.chattanoogan.com . en.
  44. Web site: A NEWS MEMO FOR MEMBERS of the U.S. DISTRICT COURT HISTORICAL SOCIETY. March 2015. Eastern District of Tennessee.
  45. Web site: Judge Paty. chattanooga.gov. 2019-06-27.
  46. Book: Hardeman County, Tennessee: Family History. 2001. Turner Publishing Company. 9781563117572. en.
  47. Web site: Georgiana Vines: Setting the record straight on Lalla Arnstein. knoxnews.com. en. 2019-07-09.
  48. Web site: Knox County Tennessee District Attorney General. knoxcounty.org. 2019-01-03.
  49. News: Suffragist Sue Shelton White honored in Jackson. The Jackson Sun. 2018-02-12.
  50. News: Dabney Anderson -- First Woman Magistrate. The Tennessean. 6 November 1974. 12. en. 2019-07-09.
  51. Web site: Class Notes. University of Virginia School of Law. 2017-09-26.
  52. Web site: Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn't Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge . October 8, 2021. Meribah . Knight . Ken . Armstrong . . October 11, 2021.
  53. News: CAMILLE KELLEY, A'MEMPHIS JUDGE; First :Woman Appointed to Municipal Juvenile-Court in the South Is Dead. 1955-01-29. The New York Times. 2019-02-26. en-US. 0362-4331.
  54. Book: Hough, Mazie. Rural Unwed Mothers: An American Experience, 1870-1950. 2015-10-06. Routledge. 9781317316459. en.
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  56. Web site: Women at Rhodes: 75 Years & Counting. Fall 1996.
  57. News: First female judge in Shelby Co. dies at 70. Staff. WMCActionNews5.com. 2018-01-03.
  58. Web site: Nancy B. Sorak – Women of Achievement. en-US. 2019-03-27.
  59. Web site: The General. Jones. Lindsay. 2011-10-01. Memphis magazine. en-us. 2019-01-01.
  60. Web site: Phyllis Aluko – Law Offices of the Shelby Co. Public Defender. en-US. 2019-03-27.
  61. Web site: Lee Ann Pafford Dobson is sworn in as Collierville's first female judge. January 17, 2019. colliervilleherald.net. en. 2019-02-22.
  62. Web site: LEE . TENA . 'Dream delayed, not denied:' Kee Bryant-McCormick takes oath as Sumner County's first Black judge . 2022-09-14 . Hendersonville Standard . en.
  63. News: Juvenile Court Judge Sharon Guffee. Blanton. Shari Lacy • Photos by Brandy. Southern Exposure Magazine. 2018-02-09.