List of first women lawyers and judges in North Carolina

This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in North Carolina. 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
Elizabeth Dole: First female to serve as a U.S. Senator for North Carolina (2003)

Lawyers

Law Clerk
Judges
  • Mamie Dowd Walker:[9][10] First female (non-attorney) judge in North Carolina (1934)
  • Elreta Melton Alexander-Ralston (1947):[11] First African American female judge in North Carolina
  • Georgia J. Lewis:[12][13] First Hispanic American (female) judicial officer in North Carolina[14]
  • Tanya T. Wallace (1987-2019):[15] First female judge to swear her daughter into judicial office (2018). Her daughter is Judge Chevonne Wallace. In 2010, Judge Wallace served on a three judge panel in the Greg Taylor Innocence Commission Case. It became the first case in the United States in which a defendnat was declared "actually innocent." Judge Wallace was the only female on the panel.
  • Sam Hamadani:[16][17] First Iranian American female (and Iranian American in general) judge in North Carolina (2018)
  • Angelica Chavis McIntyre and Brooke Locklear Clark:[18] First Native American female judges respectively in North Carolina (2018)
Superior Court
  • Susie Sharp (1928):[19][20] First female appointed as a Judge of the Superior Court (1949), Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (1962) and Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (1975)
District Court
  • Kimberly S. Taylor (1977):[21] First female appointed as a Judge of the Twenty-Second Judicial District in North Carolina (1986)
  • Ola M. Lewis:[22][23] First female (and African American) serve as a Judge of the Thirteenth Judicial District in North Carolina (1993)
  • Rebecca Eggers-Gryder:[24] First female to serve as a Judge of the Twenty-Fourth Judicial District in North Carolina
Supreme Court
  • Susie Sharp (1928):[19][20] First female appointed as a Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (1962) and Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (1975)
  • Patricia Timmons-Goodson:[25] First African American (female) to serve as a Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (2006)
  • Cheri Beasley:[26] First African American female to serve as the Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court (2019)
District Court

District Attorneys
  • Jean E. Powell:[29][30] First female to serve as a District Attorney in North Carolina (1989)
  • Belinda J. Foster:[31][32] First African American female to serve as a District Attorney in North Carolina (1993)

Assistant District Attorney
  • Wanda G. Bryant:[33] First African American female to serve as an Assistant District Attorney for the Thirteenth Prosecutorial District in North Carolina

Public Defender
  • Mary Ann Tally:[34] First female to serve as a Public Defender in North Carolina (1974)

Political Office

Bar Association
  • Ann Reed:[37] First female to serve as the President of the North Carolina State Bar (2000-2001)

Firsts in local history

Alphabetized by county name

Region

Alleghany County

Ashe County

Avery County

Bladen County

Brunswick County

Buncombe County

Cabarrus County

Caswell County

Cherokee County

Clay County

Cumberland County

Durham County

Graham County

Guilford County
  • Avery Crump:[47] First female (and African American female) to serve as the District Attorney for Guilford County, North Carolina (2019)
  • Teresa Vincent:[48] First African American (female) to serve as the Chief Judge of the Guilford County District Court, North Carolina (2019)

Haywood County

Henderson County

Hoke County

Jackson County

Macon County

Madison County

Mecklenburg County
  • Julia Alexander:[50] First female lawyer in Charlotte, North Carolina [Mecklenburg County, North Carolina]
  • Kathy Thompson:[51] First female to serve as the President of the Mecklenburg County Bar Association, North Carolina
  • Nell Lott:[51] First African American female (and African American in general) to serve as the President of the Mecklenburg County Bar Association, North Carolina

Mitchell County

Pitts County

Rockingham County

Rowan County

Scotland County

Swain County

Wake County

Watauga County

Wilkes County

Yadkin County

Yancey County

See also

Other topics of interest

References
  1. "Durant (Durand, Duren), Ann Marwood | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  2. http://mangowebdesign.com, Website design and web development by Mango Web Design. "Tabitha Ann Holton - North Carolina History Project". North Carolina History Project. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  3. Street, Lillian Exum Clement Stafford Charlotte Street at College; Asheville; NC; Latitude, U. S. A.; Longitude: 35° 35' 51.2088"; -82° 32' 45.8484". "Lillian Exum Clement Stafford". Stopping Points Historical Markers & Points of Interest. Retrieved 2019-03-04.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. Admin, L. W. V. (2019-02-22). "The Life and Legacy of Lillian Exum Clement". League of Women Voters of Asheville-Buncombe County. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  5. Fatama, Rahman. "Ruth Whitehead Whaley". www.fordham.edu. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  6. "Honoring Fordham's Black History | Fordham Observer". www.fordhamobserver.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  7. "Five Amazing Women Who Shattered The Glass Ceiling". www.ncbar.org. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  8. "Doris Bray | Carolina Law Oral History Project". oralhistoriesproject.law.unc.edu. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  9. Jackson, Carol; Judge, Phoebe (March 10, 2014). "NC's First Female Judge Had No Legal Training Whatsoever". WUNC 91.5. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
  10. "Mamie Dowd Walker, First Female Judge in North Carolina – And Justice for All". andjusticeforall.dconc.gov. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  11. Johnson, Todd; Barbour, Durwood (1997-10-01). Johnston County. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738568812.
  12. "After 60 years, Charlotte couple is still learning about each other". Charlotte Observer. August 19, 2015.
  13. "Georgia J. Lewis is 2013 recipient of the Chambers Diversity Award". www.meckbar.org. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
  14. Upon Lewis' service as a civil and criminal magistrate in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
  15. Stone, Gavin (2018-11-08). "From the break room to the bench: Chevonne Wallace elected district court judge". Richmond County Daily Journal. Retrieved 2018-12-10.
  16. Memarian, Jahandad (2017-12-05). "Iranian-American Lawyers : A Growing Presence in the Nation's Capital". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  17. "Three Iranian-American Women Make History in US Midterm Elections". www.pressreader.com. November 10, 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  18. Bigelow, Scott (2019-01-03). "McIntyre brings youthful touch to District Court". Robesonian. Retrieved 2020-03-10.
  19. "Susie Sharp (1907–1996) - North Carolina History Project". North Carolina History Project. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
  20. Hayes, Anna R. (2009-06-01). Without Precedent: The Life of Susie Marshall Sharp. Univ of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9780807887813.
  21. Finn, Marie T. (CON); Irvine, Diana R.; Bliss, Mary Lee; Pratton, Gina L.; Morgan, Samantha (CON) (2008). The American Bench. Forster-Long. ISBN 9780931398568.
  22. Riley, Rachael. "Judge Ola Lewis, who grew up in Spring Lake, dies". The Fayetteville Observer. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  23. Staton, John. "Brunswick County Judge Ola Lewis, 54, dies after cancer fight". Wilmington Star News. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
  24. Shumate, Dawn. "Rebecca Eggers-Gryder". Watauga Democrat. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
  25. "2011 NC Women's Hall of Fame | North Carolina Governor's Conference for Women". 2011-09-17. Archived from the original on 2011-09-17. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  26. "Cheri Beasley will become the first black woman to be chief justice of the NC Supreme Court". newsobserver. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  27. "The Prezell R. Robinson Library Unveils "First African Americans on the North Carolina Bench" Exhibit". Saint Augustine's University. 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  28. "The Honorable Catherine C. Eagles to deliver Elon Law's 2013 Commencement Address". E-Net! Elon University News & Information. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
  29. "First state female DA prepared to take oath". Wilson Daily Times Newspaper Archives. November 9, 1988. Retrieved 2019-03-26.
  30. Brobst, Jennifer (December 11, 2009). "North Carolina Association of Women Lawyers (1978-2009): A Comparative History of NCAWA Members and Women Attorneys Nationally" (PDF).
  31. RICHARDS, HELEN. "BELINDA FOSTER TO BE APPOINTED DISTRICT ATTORNEY". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  32. "Fraternity donates to Bennett College". WS Chronicle. 2019-01-24. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  33. "Wanda Bryant | North Carolina Judicial Branch". www.nccourts.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  34. "Mary Ann Tally receives first NACDL Champion of Indigent Defense award". www.nacdl.org. March 1, 2002. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  35. "Elizabeth H. Dole | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
  36. Buckland, Tim (December 9, 2015). "Julia Boseman to run for county commissioner". Wilmington Star News. Retrieved 2018-06-08.
  37. "An Interview with New President John M. Silverstein" (PDF). North Carolina Bar Journal. Winter 2017.
  38. "15 Things You Need to Know This Morning". www.bisnow.com. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
  39. "HARDING YADKINVILLE". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  40. "One Bladen County magistrate reaches milestone in service | BladenOnline.com". bladenonline.com. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  41. Richards, Annesophia (2017). "Tamika Jenkins: A Lawyer with a Big Heart". North Brunswick Magazine.
  42. Claiborne, Jack; Price, William Solomon (1991). Discovering North Carolina: A Tar Heel Reader. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 9780807819319.
  43. Barber, Mark (2019-01-01). "'It's a calling': Cabarrus County swears in first African-American district judge". WSOC. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  44. Stone, Jessi. "Welch seeks second term as 30th Judicial DA". www.smokymountainnews.com. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  45. Hardin, Nathan (December 9, 2014). "Beth Keever, Cumberland County's first female judge, retires". The Fayetteville Observer.
  46. "Karen Bethea-Shields, First Female Judge in Durham County, 1980–1986 – And Justice for All". andjusticeforall.dconc.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
  47. "Avery Crump is Guilford's first female, African-American district attorney". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
  48. Battaglia, Danielle. "Teresa Vincent becomes first black woman to serve as chief judge for Guilford County District Court". Greensboro News and Record. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
  49. "Alumni Distinguished Service Award Recipients". Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  50. Kratt, Mary Norton (1992). Charlotte, Spirit of the New South. John F. Blair, Publisher. ISBN 9780895870957.
  51. "Documenting the American South: Oral Histories of the American South". docsouth.unc.edu. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
  52. WITN. "Pitt County women breaking the glass ceiling". www.witn.com. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  53. "Standfield Brandon First African American Judge To Represent Rockingham County". 88.5 WFDD. 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
  54. "Rowan will elect first female DA". charlotteobserver. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  55. "DA, judges sworn in - Salisbury Post". Salisbury Post. 2011-01-03. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  56. staff, INDY (2018-10-16). "Endorsements 2018: Lorrin Freeman for Wake County District Attorney". INDY Week. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
  57. "First female magistrate here reflects before retiring". Journal Patriot. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.