List of first women lawyers and judges in Kentucky

This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Kentucky. 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 obtain a law degree or become a political figure.

Firsts in state history

Sophonisba Breckinridge: First female lawyer in Kentucky (1895)

Lawyers
Judges
  • Kathleen Mulligan:[6][7] First female judge in Kentucky (1928)
  • Janice R. Martin (1977):[8][9] First African American female judge in Kentucky (1991)
District Court
  • Lisa Ann Payne:[10] First female appointed as a Judge of the Sixth Judicial District in Kentucky (2001)
  • Julia Kurtz Tackett:[11][12] First female appointed as a Judge of the Eastern District of Kentucky
  • Traci Peppers:[13] First female appointed as a Judge of the Forty-Third Judicial Circuit in Kentucky (2014)
  • Kim Leet Razor:[14] First female appointed as a Judge of the Nineteenth Judicial District Court in Kentucky (2018)
Circuit Court
  • Denise G. Clayton:[15] First African American female to serve as a circuit court judge in Kentucky
Appellate Court
  • Judy Moberly West:[16] First female appointed as a Judge of the Court of Appeals in Kentucky (1987)
  • Sara Walter Combs (1979):[17] First female to serve as a Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals in Kentucky (2004-2010)
  • Denise G. Clayton:[15] First African American female to serve as a Judge of the Court of Appeals in Kentucky (2007)
Supreme Court
  • Sara Walter Combs (1979):[17] First female to sit on the Kentucky Supreme Court (1993)
  • Janet Stumbo:[18] First female elected as a Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court (1993)
  • Debra Hembree Lambert:[19] First female to serve as a Justice of the Third Supreme Court District of the Supreme Court of Kentucky (2019)
District Court
  • Jennifer B. Coffman (1978):[20] First female appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky (1993)

Assistant Attorney General
  • Blanche Mackey:[21][22] First female Assistant Attorney General in Kentucky (1943)

Firsts in local history

Alphabetized by county name

Anderson County

Ballard County

Barren County
  • Traci Peppers:[13] First female appointed as a Judge of the Forty-Third Judicial Circuit in Kentucky (Barren and Metcalfe Counties, Kentucky; 2014)

Boyle County

Bracken County
  • Tina Teegarden:[14] First female judge-executive in Bracken County, Kentucky (2018)
  • Kim Leet Razor:[14] First female appointed as a Judge of the Nineteenth Judicial District Court in Kentucky (2018) [Bracken, Fleming, and Mason Counties, Kentucky]

Bullitt County

Daviess County

Fayette County

Fleming County
  • Kim Leet Razor:[14] First female appointed as a Judge of the Nineteenth Judicial District Court in Kentucky (2018) [Bracken, Fleming, and Mason Counties, Kentucky]

Floyd County
  • Cassie J. Patrick Allen:[29] First female member of the Floyd County Bar Association, Kentucky

Hart County
  • Phyllis Sharon Bowles (1985):[30] First female admitted to the Hart County Bar Association in Kentucky

Henry County

Jefferson County
  • Denise G. Clayton:[15] First African American female to serve as a circuit judge in Jefferson County, Kentucky
  • Rebecca Westerfield:[33] First female to serve as President of the Louisville Bar Association [Jefferson County, Kentucky]

Johnson County
  • Ruth Long Wells:[34] First female attorney in Johnson County, Kentucky (1928). Ms. Wells was admitted to the Kentucky Bar in 1928 and was a member of the law firm of Wells & Wells (currently Porter, Banks, Baldwin & Shaw, PLLC) in Paintsville, Kentucky.

Kenton County
  • Judy Moberly West:[16] First female appointed as a Judge of the Kenton County District Court in Kentucky (1980)

Knox County

Laurel County

Logan County

Martin County

Mason County
  • Kim Leet Razor:[14] First female appointed as a Judge of the Nineteenth Judicial District Court in Kentucky (2018) [Bracken, Fleming, and Mason Counties, Kentucky]

Metcalfe County
  • Traci Peppers:[13] First female appointed as a Judge of the Forty-Third Judicial Circuit in Kentucky (Barren and Metcalfe Counties, Kentucky; 2014)

Oldham County
  • Nancy C. Doty:[40][31] First female elected as a Judge of the Oldham County Fiscal Court (1981-1988)
  • Julia Fields:[31][32] First female to serve as a Judge of the District Court in the Oldham-Trimble-Henry County District, Kentucky (1983)

Trimble County

Warren County

See also

Other topics of interest

References
  1. Goodwin, Neva (2015-07-17). Encyclopedia of Women in American History. Routledge. ISBN 9781317471622.
  2. "Alumni Information -- Louisville Municipal College -- University of Louisville". louisville.edu. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  3. "White, Albert S., Sr. and Sally J. Seals · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". nkaa.uky.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  4. "Alumna pushes for more investigation into death of civil rights leader — Louis D. Brandeis School of Law". louisville.edu. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
  5. "Jones, Alberta O. · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". nkaa.uky.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  6. Klotter, James C. (1996). Kentucky: Portrait in Paradox, 1900–1950. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0916968243.
  7. Wright, John Dean (1982). Lexington: Heart of the Bluegrass. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 0912839066.
  8. "Martin, Janice R. · Notable Kentucky African Americans Database". nkaa.uky.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
  9. "The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky on November 9, 1996 · Page 15". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
  10. "Patton appoints first female judge to the 6th Judicial District". governors.e-archives.ky.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  11. "Julia Kurtz Tackett, one of Kentucky's first female judges and prosecutors, dies at 70". kentucky. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  12. "Julia Kurtz Tackett | UK College of Law". law.uky.edu. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  13. OVERSTREET, MELINDA J. "Peppers to be interim family court judge". Glasgow Daily Times. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  14. Independent, Ledger (2018-11-07). "Razor, Teegarden make history". Ledger Independent – Maysville Online. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  15. "Court of Appeals Judge Denise Clayton". courts.ky.gov. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  16. "Kentucky Commission on Human Rights Hall of Fame 2014". kchr.ky.gov. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  17. "Court of Appeals Judge Sara Walter Combs". courts.ky.gov. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  18. "She was first woman elected to Ky. Supreme Court. After 26 years, she's leaving the bench". AppalReD Legal Aid. 2017-10-23. Retrieved 2019-01-12.
  19. Journal, Commonwealth. "Lambert sworn in as Supreme Court Justice". Commonwealth Journal. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  20. "U.S. District Judge Jennifer Coffman to retire from the bench". kentucky. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  21. "The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky on December 17, 1947 · Page 15". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
  22. "Women's Legal History | Biographical Search". Women's Legal History. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
  23. History and Families, Anderson County, Kentucky. Turner Publishing Company. 1991. ISBN 9781563110078.
  24. Chapel, Morrow Funeral. "Obituary for Martha Agnes (Gunn) Howle | Morrow Funeral Chapel". Obituary for Martha Agnes (Gunn) Howle | Morrow Funeral Chapel. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  25. "Alumni Notes" (PDF). THIRD & BROADWAY. Winter 2017.
  26. "Rebecca Sue Ward | McFarland-Troutman-Proffitt". www.mcfarlandtroutmanfuneralhome.com. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  27. Kentucky Law Journal. University of Kentucky, College of Law. 1995.
  28. The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. Kentucky Historical Society. 2001.
  29. McCauley, Cory. "Former Floyd County attorney Cassie Allen dead at 95". www.wymt.com. Retrieved 2019-07-13.
  30. "Our Kentucky Law Tradition -- 100 years of Service to Central Kentucky". Retrieved 2018-02-12.
  31. "RoundAbout Entertainment Guide - A measure of success". www.roundabout.bz. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  32. "Interview with Julia Fields | Pass the Word". passtheword.ky.gov. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  33. "Interviewer: Rebecca Westerfield" (PDF). American Bar Association.
  34. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/87488943/ruth-wells. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  35. "Families first". The Times-Tribune.com. Retrieved 2018-12-30.
  36. Pennington Pedigrees. Pennington Research Association. 1999.
  37. "Browning's success, community involvement helped prepare her to be district judge". The Logan Journal. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  38. "September News Briefs". The Logan Journal. Retrieved 2020-01-08.
  39. "MARTIN CO. ATTORNEY RETIRES EARLY, TURNS REINS OVER TO PHELPS". TheLevisaLazer.com - The Levisa Lazer. 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  40. "Interview with Nancy C. Doty | Pass the Word". passtheword.ky.gov. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
  41. "About Us". Flora Templeton Stuart Injury lawyer. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  42. "Our Staff". Warren County Attorney. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.