List of first women lawyers and judges in Washington D.C. explained

This is a list of the first women lawyers and judges in Washington, D.C. 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 the federal district's history

Law school enrollments and degrees

• Marie Louise Bottineau Baldwin (1914):^{[1] [2]} First Native American (Ojibwe) female student to graduate from Washington College of Law
• Renee Grosshandler Baum, Helen Marie Chambers, Patricia Anna Collier, Mary Gertrude Henseler, Katherine Rutherford, Agnes Anne Neill Williams, and Helen Elsie Steinbinder:^[3] First female students to enroll at the Georgetown University School of Law (1951). Baum was the first of the original women enrolled to graduate in 1953. [<nowiki/>[[:File:DC locator map with state names.jpg|Washington, D.C.]]]
• Ruth Marshall Paven: First female to graduate with an LLB from the Georgetown University School of Law (1953)
• Hortense E. Spinner and Florinell M. Washington: First African American female students to enroll at the Georgetown University School of Law, though they did not attend (1952)
• Serena E. Davis and Mabel Dole Haden: First African American female graduate students at Georgetown University School of Law (1955) [<nowiki/>[[:File:DC locator map with state names.jpg|Washington, D.C.]]]
• Helen E. Steinbinder and Mabel Dole Haden: First females to graduate with an LL.M. degree from the Georgetown University School of Law (1956). Haden was the first African American female to earn the degree. [<nowiki/>[[:File:DC locator map with state names.jpg|Washington, D.C.]]]

Lawyers

• Charlotte E. Ray (1872):^[4] First female (and African American) lawyer in Washington, D.C. and to practice before the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia (1872)

Law clerk

• Cornelia Groefsema Kennedy:^[5] First female to serve as a law clerk for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

Judges

• Marilla Ricker (1882):^[6] First female appointed as a United States Commissioner in Washington, D.C. (1891)
• Mary O'Toole (1914):^[7] First female judge appointed to the municipal court of Washington, D.C. (1921)
• Burnita Shelton Matthews (1919):^[8] First female to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (1949) in Washington, D.C.
• Marjorie Lawson (1950):^{[9] [10]} First African American female judge in Washington, D.C. (1962)
• Julia Cooper Mack (1951):^[11] First African American female to serve on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C. (1975)
• Patricia Wald (1959):^{[12] [13]} First female to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (1979)
• Norma Holloway Johnson (1962):^[14] First African American female judge appointed as a U.S. District Court Chief Judge (1997) in Washington, D.C.
• Judith W. Rogers (1968):^[15] First African American female to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (1994)
• Vanessa Ruiz (1975):^{[16] [17]} First Hispanic female to serve on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals (1994)
• Zinora Mitchell-Rankin (1979):^[18] First African American female to serve on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia with a spouse simultaneously serving as a judicial officer (1990)^[19]
• Kara Farnandez Stoll (1997):^[20] First Latino American female to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C. (2015)
• Neomi Rao

^[21] First South Asian American female to serve on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (2019)

• Eleni M. Roumel

^[22] First Greek American female to serve on the United States Court of Federal Claims (2020)

• Florence Y. Pan

^[23] First Asian American (female) to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (2021)

• Loren AliKhan

^[24] First Asian American (female) to serve on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals (2022)

• Rupa Ranga Puttagunta

^{[25] [26]} First South Asian Indian American (female) to serve on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia (2022)

• Ana C. Reyes

^[27] First Hispanic American female and openly LGBT person to serve on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia (2023)

Attorney general

• Judith W. Rogers (1968): First female (and African American) to serve as the D.C. Corporation Counsel (1979) [later renamed [[Attorney General for the District of Columbia|Attorney General of the District of Columbia]]]

United States Attorney

• Wilma A. Lewis (1981):^[28] First female to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia (1998-2001)
• Jessie K. Liu (1998):^[29] First Asian American female to serve as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia (2017)

Assistant United States Attorney

• Mazellah (M.) Pearl McCall (1919):^[30] First female appointed as the Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia (1921)

Bar association

• Marna Tucker:^{[31] [32]} First female to serve as the president of the D.C. Bar Association (1984)
• Pauline Schneider:^[33] First African American female to serve as president of the D.C. Bar Association
• Brigida Benitez:^[34] First Latino American female to serve as the president of the D.C. Bar Association (2014-2015)
• Esther H. Lim:^[35] First Korean American female to serve as the president of the D.C. Bar Association (2018)

Faculty

• Jane Cleo Marshall Lucas (1944):^{[36] [37]} First African American woman to teach full-time at Howard Law School, Washington, D.C.

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 Washington D.C.

References

1. News: Mrs. Marie L. Baldwin. The Library of Congress. 2018-02-05. en.
2. Book: The Native American. 427. 1914. Phoenix Indian School. en.
3. Web site: Georgetown Law Chronology . 2022-03-15 . www.law.georgetown.edu . en-US.
4. Book: National Bar Association Magazine. 1989. The Association. en.
5. Web site: BHL: Cornelia G. Kennedy papers. quod.lib.umich.edu. 2019-07-07.
6. Web site: Women's Legal History Biographical Search. Women's Legal History. en-US. 2018-02-08.
7. Book: Women Lawyers' Journal. 1919. Women Lawyers' Club. en.
8. Book: Lyndon B. Johnson. Germany. Kent B.. Shreve. David. 2007. W. W. Norton & Company. 9780393062861. en.
9. News: Marjorie McKenzie Lawson. 2002-10-16. Washington Post. 2018-01-18. en-US. 0190-8286.
10. Book: Harley, Sharon. Timetables of African-American History: A Chronology of the Most Important People and Events in African-American History. registration. 1996-01-19. Simon and Schuster. 9780684815787. en.
11. Book: Justice at the Top: Nine Distinguished Jurists Serve on State and D.C. Highest Courts. April 1983. Jet. 161. en.
12. News: Torrington native Patricia Wald receives Presidential Medal of Freedom. New Haven Register. 2018-01-18.
13. News: U.S. Appeals Court Here Gets First Woman Chief. Lewis. Nancy. 1986-07-26. Washington Post. 2018-01-18. en-US. 0190-8286.
14. News: Norma Holloway Johnson dies at 79; trailblazing former federal judge. https://web.archive.org/web/20110929114519/http://articles.latimes.com/2011/sep/22/local/la-me-norma-holloway-johnson-20110922. dead. September 29, 2011. 2011-09-22. Los Angeles Times. 2018-02-08. en-US. 0458-3035.
15. Web site: Hon. Judith W. Rogers.
16. Book: O'Connor, Karen. Gender and Women's Leadership: A Reference Handbook. 2010-08-18. SAGE Publications. 9781483305417. en.
17. Book: Nominations of George Opfer and Vanessa Ruiz: Hearing Before the Committee on Governmental Affairs, United States Senate, One Hundred Third Congress, Second Session on Nominations of George Opfer, to be Inspector General, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Vanessa Ruiz, to be Associate Judge, District of Columbia Court of Appeals, October 4, 1994. 1994. U.S. Government Printing Office, United States Congress Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. 9780160464850. en.
18. Book: Ebony. February 1991. Johnson Publishing Company. en.
19. Her husband is Judge Michael L. Rankin.
20. News: After Eight Months, Judicial Nominee Whom Everyone Likes Advances. Bendery. Jennifer. 2015-07-09. Huffington Post. 2018-01-18. en-US.
21. Web site: Zhou . Li . 2019-03-13 . Neomi Rao is officially Brett Kavanaugh’s replacement on the DC Circuit. She’s faced scrutiny for her writings on sexual assault. . 2022-04-14 . Vox . en.
22. Web site: 2020-02-26 . First Greek-American Woman Appointed Federal Judge . 2022-05-05 . GreekReporter.com . en-US.
23. Web site: Florence Pan Confirmed to U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. 2022-01-27. American Law Institute. en.
24. Web site: AG Racine Statement on Senate Confirmation of Solicitor General Loren AliKhan to Serve on the D.C. Court of Appeals . 2022-03-10 . oag.dc.gov.
25. Web site: 2022-02-07 . Senate Confirms Rupa Ranga Puttagunta as Associate Judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia . 2022-04-14 . American Kahani . en-US.
26. Web site: Biden to nominate first Indian-American woman and first Muslim judges, in history to U.S. courts, calls them ‘Best and Brightest’ . 2022-04-14 . News India Times . en-US.
27. Web site: First Latina, LGBTQ Judge Confirmed to DC District Court . 2024-02-17 . news.bloomberglaw.com . en.
28. Web site: Wilma A. Lewis '81 nominated to be assistant secretary for Land and Mineral Management. May 12, 2009. Harvard Law Today. en-US. 2018-12-14.
29. Web site: Solicitor General Noel Francisco Delivers Remarks at the Department of Justice Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Program. 2018-05-24. www.justice.gov. en. 2018-12-14.
30. Web site: 1895-1975: The First 50 Women in Idaho Law. Kristensen. Debora K.. 2005. Idaho State Bar.
31. Book: Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations for 1997: Justification of the budget estimates, Department of Commerce. 1996. U.S. Government Printing Office, United States Congress House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies. 9780160527753. en.
32. Web site: From the President: Our History Helps to Shape Our Future. www.dcbar.org. 2019-01-03.
33. Web site: Pauline Schneider Oral History Interview, Jun 25 2007 Video C-SPAN.org. www.c-span.org. en-us. 2019-01-03.
34. Web site: D.C. Bar names its new CEO. April 21, 2017. www.bizjournals.com. 2019-01-06.
35. Web site: Esther Lim to Serve as D.C. Bar President-Elect. Finnegan Leading Intellectual Property (IP) Law Firm. en. 2019-01-06.
36. Web site: Setting the Record Straight: Maryland's Fistr Black Women Law Graduates. Banks. Taunya Lovell. 2004. Maryland Law Review, 63(4). October 6, 2016.
37. Web site: Jane Cleo Marshall Lucas Lecture Honoring African-American Women Leaders in the Law Center for the Education of Women. www.cew.umich.edu. en. 2018-01-05.