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List of first women lawyers and judges in Virginia

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This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Virginia. 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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Belva Ann Lockwood: First female lawyer to practice before the Virginia federal court (1879)
Barbara Milano Keenan: First female Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Law school

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  • First female law graduates: Elizabeth N. Tompkins and Jane Brown Ranson in 1923[1][2]

Lawyers

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State judges

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Federal judges

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Attorney General of Virginia

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Deputy Attorney General

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Commonwealth's Attorney

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  • First African American female: Gammiel Poindexter in 1975[38]

Virginia Bar Association

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  • First female (presidents): Anita Poston and Jeanne Franklin respectively from 2000-2001 and 2001-2002[39]
  • First African American (female): Doris Henderson Causey in 2017[40]
  • First Latino American female: Stephanie E. Grana in 2022[41]

Firsts in local history

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  • Eleanor Dobson (1974):[42] First female judge in Arlington County, Virginia (1982)
  • Judith Wheat:[43] First female to serve as the Chief Judge of the Arlington County Circuit Court (2023)
  • Elaine Jones:[44] First African American female to attend and graduate from the University of Virginia School of Law (1970)
  • Reece Hale Robertson:[45] First female circuit judge in Buchanan County, Virginia (2024)
  • Gammiel Poindexter:[38] First African American (female) judge in the Sixth Judicial District (Brunswick County, et al.; 1995)
  • Tania M.L. Saylor:[46] First female of color to serve as a Judge of the Fairfax County Circuity Court (2022)
  • Lee Lovett (1947):[47][48] First female lawyer in Winchester, Virginia, Frederick County, Virginia
  • Buta Biberaj:[49] First (Albanian American, Muslim, and immigrant) female to serve as the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Loudoun County, Virginia (2019)
  • Lorrie A. Sinclair Taylor:[50] First African American (female) judge in Loudoun County, Virginia (2020)
  • Stephanie Morales:[51] First female elected as the Commonwealth's Attorney for Portsmouth, Virginia (2015)
  • Janice Wellington:[52] First female (and African American) judge in Prince William County, Virginia (1990)
  • Phoebe Hall:[53] First female to serve as the Public Defender for Richmond, Virginia
  • Rachel Figura:[54] First female judge for the City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, Virginia (2019)
  • Kimberly M. Jenkins: First female judge for the 30th Judicial Circuit Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court, from Scott County, Virginia (2019)
  • Alda White:[8] First female (and African American female) to serve as the County Attorney for Stafford County, Virginia
  • Suzanne Kuzco Fulton: First female to serve as General District Court Judge for Wise County and the 30th Judicial Circuit (1989-2005)

See also

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Other topics of interest

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References

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  1. ^ "Arthur J. Morris Law Library | People | Elizabeth N. Tompkins". archives.law.virginia.edu. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Making Strides Toward a More Inclusive Bar" (PDF). The Bar at Work: 1888-2013. 2013.
  3. ^ "Meet the First Woman to Run a Full Presidential Campaign | Washingtonian". Washingtonian. October 21, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2018.
  4. ^ Norgren, Jill (March 2007). Belva Lockwood: The Woman who Would be President. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-5834-2.
  5. ^ Burns, Brian (2017). Gilded Age Richmond: Gaiety, Greed & Lost Cause Mania. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62585-851-1.
  6. ^ Wallenstein, Peter (February 20, 2013). Blue Laws and Black Codes: Conflict, Courts, and Change in Twentieth-Century Virginia. University of Virginia Press. ISBN 978-0-8139-2487-8.
  7. ^ "Lavina Marian Fleming Poe, 1st Black woman lawyer in Virginia, 1925". J. Clay Smith Selected Photographs. December 15, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Stafford County, VA". Stafford County, VA. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  9. ^ "Richmond law firm's lone female Black attorney made it her mission to change that dynamic". WTVR. February 18, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  10. ^ "Virginia's First Woman Judge Assumes Office". The Washington Times. October 8, 1922. p. 6. ISSN 1941-0697. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  11. ^ "Woman Judge is Sworn In By Danville Court". The Washington Times. October 11, 1922. p. 11. ISSN 1941-0697. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  12. ^ ""To Benefit All, to Exclude None": Judicial Trailblazers in Virginia". Virginia Appellate Court History. June 6, 2016. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  13. ^ Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Commonwealth of Virginia, Division of Purchases and Supply. 1994.
  14. ^ McCaffrey, Scott. "90 Years Later, Arlington Elected Officials Reflect on 19th Amendment". insidenova.com. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  15. ^ "Important Women in Loudoun's History". www.connectionnewspapers.com. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  16. ^ a b Kettlewell, Caroline (December 27, 2017). "Women in the Law". VirginiaLiving.com. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  17. ^ a b Hardy, Michael. "Virginia high court justice says she'll retire". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
  18. ^ a b Sherwood, Tom (April 7, 1985). "Lacy Breaks Tradition of All-Male SCC in Va". Washington Post.
  19. ^ "After 26 years, Judge Roberts retiring from juvenile court". Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  20. ^ "Judge Roberts". Richmond Justice. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  21. ^ "Judge Eileen A. Olds '82 Inaugurated as President of American Judges Association | William & Mary Law School". law.wm.edu. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  22. ^ Petska alicia.petska@roanoke.com, Alicia. "Chris Clemens, Tom Roe tapped for Roanoke Valley judgeships". Martinsville Bulletin. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  23. ^ ""To Benefit All, to Exclude None": Judicial Trailblazers in Virginia". Virginia Appellate Court History. June 6, 2016. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  24. ^ "Cleo Powell, Va.'s first black female justice to be sworn in". WJLA. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  25. ^ "Virginia's 1st black female justice sworn in". DeseretNews.com. October 21, 2011. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  26. ^ Cooper, Alan (August 31, 2010). "Kinser to be next chief justice". Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  27. ^ Jouvenal, Justin (September 28, 2019). "Former prosecutor becomes first Asian American woman to be judge in Va". The Washington Post.
  28. ^ "Judge Roger Gregory Makes History Again". The Seattle Medium. July 18, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  29. ^ Barnes, Robert; Fahrenthold, David A. (February 14, 2014). "Who's the judge in Va. gay-marriage ban case? A seeker of a 'more perfect' freedom". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved January 9, 2018.
  30. ^ "HON. REBECCA CONNELLY". National Bankruptcy Conference. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  31. ^ Meeker, Taylor (November 12, 2019). "W&L Hosts Chief Judge Rebecca Connelly '88L". The Columns. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  32. ^ "Rebecca Connelly". Washington and Lee University. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  33. ^ "Senate Confirms Elizabeth Dillon to Western District Federal Bench". Mark R. Warner. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  34. ^ "Points of Pride - Virginia State University". www.vsu.edu. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  35. ^ "Judicial News". www.olddominionbarassociation.com. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  36. ^ Jackman, Tom (September 15, 2009). "Longtime Va. Judge Nominated for U.S. Appeals Court Has Been a Trailblazer". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  37. ^ "Library of Virginia - Virginia Women in History 2009". www.lva.virginia.gov. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
  38. ^ a b "McClellan Celebrates 23 Women at Inaugural Women of Excellence Awards" (Press release). March 15, 2024. ProQuest 2958028756.
  39. ^ "Female Presidents Of The Virginia Bar Association". www.omagdigital.com. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  40. ^ Bondurant, Jordan (June 26, 2017). "Doris Causey making VSB history". Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  41. ^ "Virginia State Bar - News - Stephanie E. Grana of Richmond Sworn-in as VSB President". www.vsb.org. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  42. ^ "Eleanor Dobson - Wednesday, September 18th, 2013". www.bakerpostfh.com. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  43. ^ "'Arlington's Judge Judy,' Hon. Judith Wheat, makes history as first woman Circuit Court Chief Judge | ARLnow.com". ARLnow.com | Arlington, Va. local news. July 7, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  44. ^ "You Don't Say!: A collection of quotations from some of the University's most celebrated figures, compiled by Fred R. Shapiro, author of The Yale Book of Quotations". Virginia Magazine. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  45. ^ DAVIS, TUCKER (June 20, 2024). "Robertson becomes first female judge in Buchanan Co. history". The Virginia Mountaineer. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  46. ^ "New Circuit Court Judge Will Receive Official Commission on May 6 | News Center". www.fairfaxcounty.gov. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  47. ^ "ISJL - Virginia Winchester Encyclopedia". Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  48. ^ "Winchester Star Newspaper Archives, Mar 24, 2007, p. 33". NewspaperArchive.com. March 24, 2007. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  49. ^ "Buta Biberaj: An extraordinary journey from Albania to becoming the first female Commonwealth's Attorney for Loudoun County in Virginia | ILLYRIA". www.illyria.com. June 3, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  50. ^ Baratko, Trevor. "Loudoun County will soon have its first black judge; General Assembly approves Sinclair Taylor, Snow". LoudounTimes.com. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
  51. ^ "Portsmouth's Stephanie Morales is setting new standards for accountability". Medium. November 1, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2019.
  52. ^ Berti, Daniel. "General Assembly approves first Latino judge for Prince William". Prince William Times. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  53. ^ Wilson, Patrick. "Phoebe Hall, VCU rector and Richmond's first female public defender, dies". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  54. ^ Delea, Pete. "New Judge Chosen — Bridgewater Woman To Hear Juvenile, Domestic Relations Cases". Daily News-Record. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
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