Wikipedia

List of first women lawyers and judges in Tennessee

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

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Lutie Lytle: First (African American) female lawyer in Tennessee (1897)
 
Bernice B. Donald: First African American female judge in Tennessee (1982)

Law School

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Lawyers

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  • First (African American) female: Lutie Lytle (1897)[1][2][3]
  • First female (actively practice): Marion Scudder Griffin (1907)[4]
  • First female to argue before the Tennessee Court of Civil Appeals: Frances Wolf (1907)[5]

State judges

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Federal judges

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Deputy Attorney General

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  • First female: Patricia J. Cottrell (1976)[30]

Assistant Attorney General

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  • First (African American) female: Etrula T. Trotter in 1974[31]

United States Attorney

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Assistant United States Attorney

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Solicitor General

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  • Andrée Blumstein (1981):[34][35] First female Solicitor General of Tennessee (2014)

Tennessee Bar Association

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  • First female (director/secretary): Billie Bethel[36]
  • First female president: Pamela L. Reeves (1979) from 1997-1998[28][29]
  • First African American (female) executive director: Joycelyn Stevenson[37]

Firsts in local history

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See also

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Other topics of interest

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References

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  1. ^ a b Smith, John Clay (2000-01-01). Rebels in Law: Voices in History of Black Women Lawyers. University of Michigan Press. ISBN 0472086464.
  2. ^ a b c Smith, J. Clay Jr (1999). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844-1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-1685-1.
  3. ^ Lytle worked thereafter as an educator and librarian at Tennessee College.
  4. ^ "Marion Scudder Griffin Collection". memphislibrary.contentdm.oclc.org. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  5. ^ "Frances Wolf | Jewish Women's Archive". jwa.org. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
  6. ^ a b "CAMILLE KELLEY, A'MEMPHIS JUDGE; First :Woman Appointed to Municipal Juvenile-Court in the South Is Dead". The New York Times. 1955-01-29. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  7. ^ a b Hough, Mazie (2015-10-06). Rural Unwed Mothers: An American Experience, 1870-1950. Routledge. ISBN 9781317316459.
  8. ^ a b "First Woman Judge in the South". The Pioche Record. 1920-05-28. ISSN 2472-176X. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g "Tennessee Women on the Bench: A History of Firsts | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts". www.tncourts.gov. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  10. ^ a b "Dekalb County | Counties | Counties | History | TN History for Kids". tnhistoryforkids.org. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  11. ^ a b "County Spotlight: DeKalb County" (PDF). County Officials E-News. November 2016.
  12. ^ a b c d Willis, Hon Bernice B. Donald and LaFonda. "Nevertheless, we persist: The history and progress of women in Shelby County judiciary | Opinion". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  13. ^ a b c d e Robertson, Suzanne Craig (August 2003). "Judge Martha Craig "Cissy" Daughtrey to Receive Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award: This 'Uppity Woman' has Made a Difference in Tennessee Justice". Tenn. B.J. 39: 16.
  14. ^ a b c d "Tennessee judge's epic firsts are historic, unparalleled". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  15. ^ a b "Vanderbilt University Special Collections". library.vanderbilt.edu. 2008-12-10. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
  16. ^ a b c Wilson, J. C. (August 2005). Giant Word Search Puzzle Book of Notable Black Firsts and Facts. iUniverse. ISBN 9780595347285.
  17. ^ a b c "President Obama Nominates Judge Bernice Bouie Donald for United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit". whitehouse.gov. 2010-12-01. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  18. ^ Judge Bernice Bouie Donald elected the First African American Female Judge in Tennessee’s history (1982). Donald went on to become the first African American female bankruptcy judge in the history of the United States of America in June 1988. Donald became the first African female judge to serve on the U. S. District Court, W. D. Tennessee in 1995 when President William Jefferson Clinton nominated her to the Court and she was confirmed by the U. S. Senate. In 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Donald to the U. S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit where she became the first African American female judge so serve on that Court. She was confirmed by the U. S. Senate by a vote of 96/2 in September 2011.
  19. ^ Staff, News (2014-09-03). "First female judge in the 1st judicial district takes the bench". WCYB. Retrieved 2018-01-05. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  20. ^ "Penny White". University of Tennessee College of Law. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g "Milestones « Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association". benfjones.com. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
  22. ^ Voruganti, Harsh (2020-09-09). "Twelve State Court Judges the Next Democratic President May Elevate to the Court of Appeals". The Vetting Room. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  23. ^ a b Wallace, Harriet (2017-06-16). "Nashville's first openly gay judge talks marriage, controversy". WZTV. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  24. ^ a b "General Sessions Judge Rachel Bell got married — and became the first openly bi-sexual elected judge in Tennessee". OutVoices. 2017-06-03. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  25. ^ a b "Newsmaker: Nashville's first Latina Judge Ana Escobar". WKRN News 2. 2018-09-10. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  26. ^ "Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals Elects Judge McMullen Presiding Judge | Tennessee Administrative Office of the Courts". www.tncourts.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-03.
  27. ^ "Country music legend Dolly Parton among inspiring Women of the Century on Tennessee list". www.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-03-03.
  28. ^ a b "Obama nominates new U.S. judge for East Tennessee". timesfreepress.com. May 2013.
  29. ^ a b "Knoxville lawyer Pamela Reeves nominated for federal judgeship". knoxnews.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
  30. ^ "Ms. Patricia J. Cottrell Lawyer Profile on Martindale.com". martindale.com. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  31. ^ Clark Grad is State's 1st Female Asst. Atty. Gen. Jet. 1974-11-07.
  32. ^ Campbell, Becky. "First woman becomes interim U.S. Attorney for Eastern District of Tennessee". Johnson City Press. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
  33. ^ "Recognizing the WDTN's First Female AUSA, Devon L. Gosnell, during Women's History Month". justice.gov. 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  34. ^ "Andrée Blumstein: Law wasn't first choice for top TN lawyer". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  35. ^ "Andree Blumstein '81 appointed Tennessee solicitor general". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 2018-12-15.
  36. ^ "Billie Roberta Bethel Obituary (1932 - 2017) Knoxville News Sentinel". Legacy.com. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  37. ^ "Joycelyn Stevenson '01 to serve as 2016 president of the Nashville Bar Association". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  38. ^ "Susan Marttala Appointed First Female District Attorney in the State of Tennessee". The Tennessean. 7 February 1990. p. 57. ProQuest 1909314400.
  39. ^ Butler, Iva (June 3, 2011). "Gov. Haslam swears in Tammy Harrington as first female judge in Blount County". The Daily Times.
  40. ^ a b Walker, Eddie (March 2, 2022). "Cocke County's First Woman Lawyer". infoweb.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2024-04-12.
  41. ^ "RESOLUTION NO. RS2004-378". legisarchive.nashville.gov. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  42. ^ "Commentary: Emerge Tennessee changes politics one woman at a time". The Daily Herald. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  43. ^ Daryani, Connor (2024-08-25). "Stephanie Williams Takes Her Seat As Family Court Judge in Nashville". Nashville Banner. Retrieved 2024-09-10.
  44. ^ “MILESTONES.” Crisis (15591573), vol. 113, no. 5, Sept. 2006, p. 8. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=20fbf1d0-2a7e-3914-a174-e99a7020c9a7.
  45. ^ "In Memoriam, Joyce Ward". Citizen Tribune. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  46. ^ "Ardena Garth-Hicks To Speak At Scenic City Women's Network Luncheon Jan. 27". www.chattanoogan.com. 2022-01-19. Retrieved 2024-06-07.
  47. ^ "A NEWS MEMO FOR MEMBERS of the U.S. DISTRICT COURT HISTORICAL SOCIETY" (PDF). Eastern District of Tennessee. March 2015.
  48. ^ "Judge Paty". chattanooga.gov. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
  49. ^ Hardeman County, Tennessee: Family History. Turner Publishing Company. 2001. ISBN 9781563117572.
  50. ^ "Georgiana Vines: Setting the record straight on Lalla Arnstein". knoxnews.com. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  51. ^ "Knox County Tennessee District Attorney General". knoxcounty.org. Retrieved 2019-01-03.
  52. ^ "Suffragist Sue Shelton White honored in Jackson". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
  53. ^ "Dabney Anderson -- First Woman Magistrate". The Tennessean. 6 November 1974. p. 12. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  54. ^ "Class Notes". University of Virginia School of Law. Retrieved 2017-09-26.
  55. ^ Knight, Meribah; Armstrong, Ken (October 8, 2021). "Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn't Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge". ProPublica. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  56. ^ Dowdy, G. Wayne (2014-03-18). On This Day in Memphis History. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781625845917.
  57. ^ "Women at Rhodes: 75 Years & Counting" (PDF). Fall 1996.
  58. ^ Staff, WMCActionNews5.com. "First female judge in Shelby Co. dies at 70". Retrieved 2018-01-03.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  59. ^ "Nancy B. Sorak – Women of Achievement". Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  60. ^ Jones, Lindsay (2011-10-01). "The General". Memphis magazine. Retrieved 2019-01-01.
  61. ^ "Phyllis Aluko – Law Offices of the Shelby Co. Public Defender". Retrieved 2019-03-27.
  62. ^ "Lee Ann Pafford Dobson is sworn in as Collierville's first female judge". colliervilleherald.net. January 17, 2019. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
  63. ^ LEE, TENA. "'Dream delayed, not denied:' Kee Bryant-McCormick takes oath as Sumner County's first Black judge". Hendersonville Standard. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
  64. ^ Blanton, Shari Lacy • Photos by Brandy. "Juvenile Court Judge Sharon Guffee". Southern Exposure Magazine. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
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