Kay McFarland (July 20, 1935 – August 18, 2015) was a chief justice of the
Kansas Supreme Court
The Kansas Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority in the state of Kansas. Composed of seven justices, led by Chief Justice Marla Luckert, the court supervises the legal profession, administers the judicial branch, and serves as the sta ...
. She was the first female elected to a judgeship in
Shawnee County, Kansas
Shawnee County (county code SN) is located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 178,909, making it the third-most populous county in Kansas. Its most populous city, Topeka, is the state ...
, first appointed to the state supreme court, and first to hold the title of chief justice.
Personal life
Kay McFarland was born on July 20, 1935, in
Coffeyville
Coffeyville is a city in southeastern Montgomery County, Kansas, United States, located along the Verdigris River in the state's southeastern region. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,826. Coffeyville is the most popul ...
,
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
to Dr. Kenneth and Margaret McFarland. In 1957, she graduated magna cum laude from
Washburn University
Washburn University (WU) is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 u ...
in Topeka with dual majors in English and history-political science. She graduated from
Washburn University School of Law
The Washburn University School of Law is a public law school located on the main campus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Washburn Law was founded in 1903. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and has been a member of ...
in 1964. McFarland died on August 18, 2015.
Professional life
McFarland was admitted to the Kansas Bar and entered into private practice in 1964 in Topeka. In 1971, she was elected judge of the probate and juvenile courts of Shawnee County, becoming the first woman elected to a judgeship in that county.
In January 1973, she won election as judge of the newly created Fifth Division of the District Court in Topeka. On September 19, 1977, she was appointed to the Kansas Supreme Court by Governor
Robert F. Bennett becoming the state's first female Supreme Court justice.
On September 1, 1995 she became Kansas's first female chief justice, replacing the retiring Hon. Richard Holmes. She resigned on January 12, 2009 due to state laws mandating retirement after the age of 70.
See also
*
List of female state supreme court justices Female state supreme court justices
First female justices
Below is a list of the names of the first woman to sit on the highest court of their respective states in the United States.
The first state with a female justice was Ohio; Florence E. ...
References
External links
Chief Justice Kay McFarland Named Distinguished AlumniOfficial Biography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McFarland, Kay
1935 births
2015 deaths
Politicians from Topeka, Kansas
Kansas state court judges
Chief Justices of the Kansas Supreme Court
Washburn University alumni
Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States
Washburn University School of Law alumni
20th-century American judges
20th-century American women judges
21st-century American women judges
21st-century American judges