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Donna Hitchens (born November 10, 1947) is the first openly-gay elected female judge in the United States, and the founder of the
Berkley Law Foundation
to begin the Lesbian Rights Project. Hitchens aimed to use her legal expertise and personal experiences to support the legal rights of lesbians. Later, in 1988, the project became independent and was renamed the
Donna Hitchens (born November 10, 1947) is the first openly-gay elected female judge in the United States, and the founder of the National Center for Lesbian Rights
The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is a non-profit, public interest law firm in the United States that advocates for equitable public policies affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, provides free legal ...
. Through her work, she has campaigned openly for LGBT+ rights with a particular focus on lesbian rights, LGBT+ legal aid, and homosexual custody cases.
Legal career
Hitchens was elected as a judge for theSuperior Court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...
in 1991, and has since worked in civil
Civil may refer to:
*Civic virtue, or civility
*Civil action, or lawsuit
* Civil affairs
*Civil and political rights
*Civil disobedience
*Civil engineering
*Civil (journalism), a platform for independent journalism
*Civilian, someone not a membe ...
, criminal
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...
, juvenile and family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
courtrooms. During the 1991 San Francisco election campaigns, Hitchens worked alongside three other public defenders to unseat four superior court judges, receiving praise for being an openly gay woman during the campaign. Hitchens retired as a judge in 2010 after serving for 20 years, although continued to preside part-time over the children's courts in San Francisco. Hitchens has been nominated for a number of awards, including the 2001 Benjamin Aranda Access to Justice Award for improving legal access for low-income individuals and the 2002 Judicial Officer of the Year Award from the State Bar of California.
Formation of the National Center for Lesbian Rights
In 1977, after graduating from Berkley School of Law, Hitchens, alongside other members of Equal Rights Advocates, received a grant from thBerkley Law Foundation
to begin the Lesbian Rights Project. Hitchens aimed to use her legal expertise and personal experiences to support the legal rights of lesbians. Later, in 1988, the project became independent and was renamed the
National Center for Lesbian Rights
The National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) is a non-profit, public interest law firm in the United States that advocates for equitable public policies affecting the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, provides free legal ...
, which works today as a non-profit law firm aiming to provide free legal assistance to LGBT+ clients in the United States.
Personal life
Hitchens was the first in her family to complete high school, before moving on to her legal career. Hitchens met her wife, Nancy Davis, whilst working with theEqual Rights Advocates
Equal Rights Advocates (ERA) is an American non-profit women's rights, gender justice/women's rights organization that was founded in 1974. ERA is a legal and advocacy organization dedicated to advancing rights and opportunities for women, girls, a ...
. Hitchens and Davis married in 2008.
See also
*List of LGBT jurists in the United States
This is a list of openly LGBT Americans who are or were judges, magistrate judges, court commissioners, or administrative law judges in the United States and its federal district and territories. If known, it will be listed if a judge has served o ...
References