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List of first women lawyers and judges in Maryland

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This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Maryland. 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 state history

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Lawyers

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State judges

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  • First female: Kathryn J. DuFour (1935) in 1955[10][11]
  • First female (Maryland Special Court of Appeals): Rita Charmatz Davidson (1963) in 1972[12][13]
  • First female (Maryland Court of Appeals): Rita Charmatz Davidson (1963) in 1979[12][13]
  • First African American female: Mabel H. Hubbard (1975) in 1985[14]
  • First Hispanic American (female): Audrey J.S. Carrion in 1995[15][16][17]
  • First female (chief judge): Martha F. Rasin in 1996[16][18][19]
  • First Muslim American female (preside over court): Zakia Mahasa in 1997[20][21]
  • First Korean American female: Jeannie Hong (1993) in 2002[22]
  • First openly LGBT (female): Halee F. Weinstein in 2002[23][24]
  • First female (juvenile court): Bess B. Lavine[16][25]
  • First African American female (Maryland Special Court of Appeals): Michele D. Hotten in 2010[26]
  • First African-American female (Maryland Court of Appeals): Shirley M. Watts (1983) in 2013[27]
  • First Asian American (female) (Maryland Special Court of Appeals): Rosalyn Tang in 2022[28]
  • First Latino American (female) (Maryland Court of Appeals): Angela Eaves in 2022[29]

Federal judges

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Assistant Attorney General

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United States Attorney

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  • First female: Catherine C. Blake in 2009[34]

State's Attorney

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  • First African American female: Toni E. Clarke from 1994 to 1995[35]

District Attorney

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  • First female: Susie Starp around 1974[36]

Public Defender

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  • First African American (female):[37] Natasha Dartigue

Maryland State Bar Association

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  • First female admitted: Rose Zetzer (1946)[38]
  • First female president: Louise Michaux Gonzales in 1991[39]

Firsts in local history

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  • Alice C. Taylor:[40] First female magistrate in Southern Maryland (1965)
  • Elizabeth Morris:[41] First African American female circuit judge in Anne Arundel County, Maryland (2018)
  • Anne Colt Leitess:[42] First female to serve as the State's Attorney for Anne Arundel County, Maryland (2018)
  • Juanita Jackson Mitchell and Elaine Carsley Davis:[7][8][9] First African American females to graduate from the Maryland School of Law (1950)
  • Patricia C. Jessamy:[43] First female to serve as the State's Attorney for Baltimore, Maryland (1995)
  • Audrey J.S. Carrion:[15] First Hispanic American (female) to serve as a Judge of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Maryland (1995)
  • Phoebe A. Haddon:[44] First African American (female) to serve as the Dean of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law (2009)
  • Jeanette Rosner Wolman (1957):[45] First female lawyer admitted to the Bar Association of Baltimore City [Baltimore County, Maryland]
  • Wanda Keyes Heard (1982):[46][47] First female (and African American female) appointed as the Chief Judge of the Baltimore City Circuit Court (2017) [Baltimore City, Maryland]
  • Ebony M. Thompson:[48] First (openly lesbian) female to serve as the City Solicitor of Baltimore City, Maryland (2024)
  • JoAnn Ellinghaus-Jones (1981):[49] First female judge in Carroll County, Maryland
  • Maria Oesterreicher:[50] First female to become a Judge of the Circuit Court in Carroll County, Maryland (2018)
  • Bonnie G. Schneider (1988):[51] First female judge in Cecil County, Maryland
  • Donine Carrington (1995):[47] First African American female to serve on the Charles County Circuit Court (2017) [Charles County, Maryland]
  • Betty Bright Nelson (c. 1950s):[52] First woman to practice law in Dorchester County, Maryland
  • Mary Ann Stepler (1974):[53] First female judge in Frederick County, Maryland
  • Yolanda L. Curtin:[54] First Latino female to serve on the Harford County Circuit Court, Maryland (2013)
  • Diane O. Leasure and Donna Hill Staton:[55][56] First females to serve as a Judge of the Howard County Circuit Court in Maryland (1995). Staton is the first African American (female) judge appointed to the circuit court.
  • Alice Gail Pollard Clark:[57] First African American (female) to serve as district judge for Howard County, Maryland (1997)
  • Vivian V. Simpson (c. 1930s):[58] First female lawyer in Montgomery County, Maryland
  • Irma S. Raker:[59] First African American female to serve as the Assistant State's Attorney of Montgomery County, Maryland
  • Marielsa A. Bernard (1981):[60] First Hispanic American female to serve as a district court judge (1998) and circuit court judge (2002) in Montgomery County, Maryland
  • Sharon V. Burrell (1984):[47] First African American female to serve on the Montgomery County Circuit Court (c. 2008) [Montgomery County, Maryland]
  • Karla Smith (1995):[61] First African American female to serve on the Montgomery County District Court (2012) [Montgomery County, Maryland]
  • Toni E. Clarke:[35] First African-American female to serve as the State's Attorney for Prince George's County, Maryland (1994-1995). She was the first African-American (female) to serve as the President of the Prince George's County Bar Association.
  • Carmen D. Tidler:[62] First Hispanic American female to serve as the Assistant State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, Maryland
  • Jacqueline Byrd-Tillman:[62] First African American female to serve as the Assistant State’s Attorney for Prince George’s County, Maryland
  • Angela Alsobrooks:[63] First African American female elected to serve as the State's Attorney for Prince George's County, Maryland (2010)
  • Gladys Weatherspoon:[64] First Latino American female (who is of Dominican descent) judge in Prince George's County, Maryland (2020)
  • Llamilet Gutierrez:[65] First Hispanic American (female) to serve as a Judge of Prince George’s County District Court (2023)
  • Gina Circincion:[66] First female to serve as the State's Attorney for Washington County, Maryland (2022)
  • Grace Gerber (1920):[4][5] First female (and Jewish American female) lawyer in Hagerstown, Maryland [Washington County, Maryland]
  • Sally D. Adkins:[17][57] First female to serve as a Judge of the Wicomico County Circuit Court (1996)
  • Peggy Kent (c. 1980):[67] First female judge in Worcester County (2018)
  • Kris Heiser:[68] First female to serve as the State's Attorney for Worcester County (2019)

See also

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Other topics of interest

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References

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  1. ^ Thurlow, Katharine (June 1986). "Women in the Law" (PDF). Maryland Bar Journal. XIX: 5: 24–25.
  2. ^ "President's Message: Who is Etta Maddox? - Maryland State Bar Association". www.msba.org. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  3. ^ Helmes, Winifred Gertrude (1977). Notable Maryland Women. Tidewater Publishers. ISBN 9780870332364.
  4. ^ a b Eyler, Deborah Sweet. "The Early Female Jewish Members of the Maryland Bar: 1920–1929". Maryland Law Review. 74: 545: 545–582.
  5. ^ a b Battaglia, Lynne A. ""WHERE IS JUSTICE?" AN EXPLORATION OF BEGINNINGS". University of Baltimore Law Forum. 41 (1).
  6. ^ Smith, John Clay (1999). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 9780812216851.
  7. ^ a b "Juanita Jackson Mitchell, Maryland Women's Hall of Fame". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  8. ^ a b "Juanita J. Mitchell, 79, Lawyer In Maryland Civil Rights Battles". The New York Times. 1992-07-09. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
  9. ^ a b Banks, Taunya Lovell (2004). "Setting the Record Straight: Maryland's First Black Women Law Graduates". Maryland Law Review. 63 (4).
  10. ^ Calver, Mimi. "Minutes. Hall of Records Commission, 6/6/2001". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  11. ^ Upon her appointment as a Judge of the Montgomery County Circuit Court
  12. ^ a b "Rita Charmatz Davidson | Jewish Women's Archive". jwa.org. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  13. ^ a b The Maryland Bar Journal. Maryland State Bar Association. 1986.
  14. ^ "Mabel Houze Hubbard, Maryland Women's Hall of Fame". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
  15. ^ a b Freitag, Susan. "Women hold a quarter of Maryland judgeships In 1981, data show, they were 5% of bench". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
  16. ^ a b c "Judges among Maryland Women Recognized in History Project" (PDF). Justice Matters. June 2003.
  17. ^ a b "Wicomico County Bar Honors Judge Sally D. Adkins". Maryland State Bar Association – MSBA. 2018-12-03. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
  18. ^ "Forum Faces: The Honorable Martha F. Rasin". University of Baltimore Law Forum. 1998.
  19. ^ Upon Rasin becoming a Chief Judge of a Maryland District Court in 1996
  20. ^ "The Sisters' Struggle Is Ours - America's First Muslimah Judge". www.portofharlem.net. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  21. ^ "Judge in Detroit is Not First Muslim Woman Judge in U.S." hwpi.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2022-04-26.
  22. ^ "Gay woman, Asian-American named city District Court judges". tribunedigital-baltimoresun. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  23. ^ "Hon. Halee F. Weinstein". Daily Record. 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  24. ^ "Judge Halee F. Weinstein for Baltimore City District Court in Maryland". Trellis. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  25. ^ She and her daughter Sherrie Krauser were the first mother and daughter to hold judgeships in Maryland.
  26. ^ Bykowicz, Julie. "Md. gets 1st African-American woman appeals judge". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  27. ^ "Shirley M. Watts appointed to Court of Appeals". The Baltimore Times, Inc. – Positive Stories. Retrieved 2018-02-10.
  28. ^ Fenton, Justin. "Hogan appointee is the first Asian American and youngest woman named to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  29. ^ "Maryland governor appoints 2 to state's highest court". Cecil Daily. Retrieved 2022-02-21.
  30. ^ a b The Maryland Bar Journal. Maryland State Bar Association. 1996.
  31. ^ "Biden to nominate two Maryland women to become federal judges, including the first woman of color". Baltimore Sun. 2021-03-30. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  32. ^ "Native Judges Belong on the Federal Bench". Yahoo News. 2023-11-27. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  33. ^ "State Roundup, May 30, 2019". MarylandReporter.com. Retrieved 2019-06-29.
  34. ^ Myers, Marcia. "Baltimore judges named to U.S. District Court". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  35. ^ a b "Board of Trustees". The National Judicial College. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  36. ^ "More Women & Minorities Move Into Mainstream". Newspapers.com. November 7, 1974. Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  37. ^ "Screenshot 2023-10-19 053508". AFRO American Newspapers. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  38. ^ "Women's Legal History | Biographical Search". Women's Legal History. Retrieved 2017-10-25.
  39. ^ "Louise Gonzales brings womens' [sic] perspective to state bar ** group". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  40. ^ "Obituary for Alice C. Taylor at Brinsfield Funeral Home". www.brinsfieldfuneral.com. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  41. ^ San Felice, Selene. "Anne Arundel County's first female African-American Circuit Court judge appointed as three vacancies filled". capitalgazette.com. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  42. ^ San Felice, Selene. "Anne Colt Leitess, Anne Arundel's first female state's attorney, wins back the office". capitalgazette.com. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  43. ^ Apperson, Jay. "Baltimore's top prosecutor". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  44. ^ "Phoebe A. Haddon '85 to Lead Rutgers-Camden". law.yale.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
  45. ^ "Jeannette Rosner Wolman, MSA SC 3520-13569". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
  46. ^ "Wanda K. Heard, Maryland Circuit Court Judge". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  47. ^ a b c "Female judges overcame challenges to break down barriers". Maryland Daily Record. 2018-09-20. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  48. ^ "Baltimore City Law Department". Baltimore City Law Department. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
  49. ^ "First female judge named" (PDF).
  50. ^ "Maria Oesterreicher becomes Carroll's first female Circuit Court judge". carrollcountytimes.com. Retrieved 2018-12-07.
  51. ^ Hamilton, Carl (August 8, 2008). "Schneider becomes county's first female judge". Cecil Daily.
  52. ^ "Betty Bright Nelson's Obituary on The Star Democrat". The Star Democrat. Retrieved 2018-01-20.
  53. ^ Gaines, Danielle E. (December 13, 2014). "County's first female judge remembered". The Frederick News-Post. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  54. ^ Davis, Krishna. "Yolanda L. Curtin sworn in as first Hispanic judge on Harford Circuit Court". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
  55. ^ Craver, Alan J. "Lawyer Leasure sworn in as Circuit Court judge She is first woman to join bench at that level in county". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  56. ^ Francke, Caitlin (October 10, 1996). "Judicial campaign a study in strategy: 2 operate from bench, 2 take grass-roots tack". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  57. ^ a b Freitag, Susan. "Women hold a quarter of Maryland judgeships In 1981, data show, they were 5% of bench". baltimoresun.com. Retrieved 2020-03-08.
  58. ^ "Vivian V. Simpson (1903–1984)" (PDF). Montgomery County Commission for Women.
  59. ^ "Irma S. Raker, MSA SC 3520-11659". msa.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
  60. ^ "Marielsa A. Bernard" (PDF). Montgomery County Commission for Women.
  61. ^ "Karla Smith set to be sworn in as first black female Montgomery District Court judge". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  62. ^ a b Saxon, Carolyn Starks (March 2011). "The History Corner" (PDF). PGCBA News Journal.
  63. ^ Filipovic, Jill (2018-10-31). "Your State-by-State Guide to Women Running in the Midterms". Harper's BAZAAR. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
  64. ^ "Entrevista con Gladys Weatherspoon, la primera jueza latina en Prince George's". Telemundo Washington DC (44) (in Spanish). Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  65. ^ "Governor Larry Hogan - Official Website for the Governor of Maryland". Governor of Maryland. Retrieved 2023-01-09.
  66. ^ Rhodes, Dave. "Washington County's first female state's attorney is a 'Jersey Girl' who found her niche". The Hagerstown Herald-Mail. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  67. ^ "01/24/2018 | Kent Sworn In As First Female Judge In Worcester County History | News Ocean City MD". News Ocean City Maryland Coast Dispatch Newspaper. 2018-01-24. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  68. ^ Hooper, Bethany (2019-01-08). "01/08/2019 | Heiser Sworn In As Worcester County's First Female State's Attorney | News Ocean City MD". News Ocean City Maryland Coast Dispatch Newspaper. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
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