This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. 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 Michigan's history

Lawyers

*First female: Sarah Kilgore Wertman (1871) * First female (earned LL.M. degree): Theresa Doland (1917) *First African American female: Grace G. Costavas Murphy (1923)

State judges

* First African American female: Geraldine Bledsoe Ford (1948) in 1967 * First female (justice of the peace): Phoebe Ely Patterson in 1919 * First female (probate court): Ella Eggleston in 1919 * First female (

Michigan Supreme Court The Michigan Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is Michigan's court of last resort and consists of seven justices. The Court is located in the Michigan Hall of Justice at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, the state ...

Mary S. Coleman Mary Stallings Coleman (1914–2001) was a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court from 1973 until 1982. Coleman was born in Forney, Texas but grew up in Washington, DC. She did her undergraduate work at the University of Maryland and received h ...

in 1972 (1972) * First female (

; Chief Justice): Mary Coleman in 1979 * First (Hispanic American) female (

Michigan Court of Appeals The Michigan Court of Appeals is the intermediate-level appellate court of the state of Michigan. It was created by the Michigan Constitution of 1963, and commenced operations in 1965. Its opinions are reported both in an official publication of ...

Dorothy Comstock Riley Dorothy Comstock Riley (December 6, 1924 – October 23, 2004) was a lawyer and judge from the U.S. state of Michigan, serving on the Michigan Supreme Court and the first woman to serve on the Michigan Court of Appeals. She was the first Hispa ...

in 1976 * First Hispanic American female (

in 1982 *First Hispanic American female: Patricia P. Fresard in 1998Upon Fresard being elected as a Judge of the 3rd Circuit Court in Wayne County, Michigan *First Muslim American female: Mona K. Majzoub in 2004 *First Arab American (female): Charlene Mekled Elder in 2006 *First Asian American (female): Shalina D. Kumar in 2007 *First African American female (Seventeenth Circuit Court): Christina Elmore in 2019 *First Palestinian American (female): Yvonna Abraham in 2021 *First African American female (

Kyra Harris Bolden Kyra Harris Bolden (born July 31, 1988) is an associate justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. She was a candidate for the Michigan Supreme Court in 2022, but came in third behind incumbents Richard H. Bernstein, Richard Bernstein and Brian K. Zah ...

in 2022 *First Hispanic American female (Chief Judge; Third Circuit Court): Patricia P. Fresard in 2022 *First tribal (female) citizen from the

Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians The Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians (LTBBOI, oj, Waganakising Odawa) is a federally recognized Native American tribe of Odawa. A large percentage of the more than 4000 tribal members continue to reside within the tribe's traditiona ...

(

): Allie Greenleaf Maldonado in 2023

Federal judges

*First African American female (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan):

Anna Diggs Taylor Anna Katherine Diggs Taylor ( Johnston; December 9, 1932 – November 4, 2017) was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Education and career Born in Washington, D.C. as Anna Kat ...

(1957) in 1979 *First openly lesbian female (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan):

Judith Ellen Levy Judith Ellen Levy (born 1958) is an American lawyer who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan since 2014. Early life Levy was born in 1958 in Bloomington, Indiana. ...

(1996) in 2014 *First Iraqi Chaldean American (female) (

United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan The United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan (in case citations, W.D. Mich.) is the federal district court with jurisdiction over of the western portion of the state of Michigan, including the entire Upper Peninsula and t ...

Hala Y. Jarbou Hala Yalda Jarbou (born 1971) is the United States federal judge, Chief United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan. She is the first Chaldean federal judge. Education Jarbou earned h ...

in 2020 *First South Asian (female) (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan):

Shalina D. Kumar Shalina Deborah Kumar (born 1971) is an American attorney from Michigan who is a United States federal judge, United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Education Kumar received a Ba ...

in 2021 *First African American female (

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (in case citations, 6th Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * Eastern District of Kentucky * Western District of ...

): Stephanie D. Davis in 2022

Attorney General of Michigan The Attorney General of the State of Michigan is the fourth-ranking official in the U.S. state of Michigan. The officeholder is elected statewide in the November general election alongside the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, me ...

*First female:

Jennifer Granholm Jennifer Mulhern Granholm (born February 5, 1959) is a Canadian-American lawyer, educator, author, political commentator, and politician serving as the 16th United States secretary of energy since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, she pre ...

(c. 1987) from 1993 to 2003 *First openly lesbian female:

Dana Nessel Dana Michelle Nessel (born April 19, 1969) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 54th Attorney General of Michigan since January 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Nessel is the second openly lesbian woman elected at ...

in 2018

Solicitor General of Michigan

* First Muslim Arab American (female):

Fadwa Hammoud Fadwa A. Hammoud is the Chief Deputy Attorney General of Michigan and the former Solicitor General of Michigan. Early life and education At age 11, Hammoud emigrated to the United States from Lebanon. Hammoud graduated from Fordson High School. ...

in 2019

United States Attorney

* First Muslim American (female): Saima Mohsin in 2021

Assistant United States Attorney

* First female: Ella Mae Backus in 1923

Judge Advocate General

*First female:

Rosemarie Aquilina Rosemarie Elizabeth Aquilina (born April 25, 1958) is an American judge. She is a judge of the 30th circuit court in Ingham County, Michigan. Previously, Aquilina was the 55th District Court Judge, where she served as both a Sobriety Court Jud ...

(1984)

County Prosecutor

* First female:

Emelia Christine Schaub Emelia Christine Schaub (1891–1995) was a lawyer who was Michigan's first elected woman prosecutor, the first woman in the United States to successfully defend a murder trial. Early life and education She was born in a log cabin in Centerville ...

in 1936 *First African American female:

Kym Worthy Kym Loren Worthy (born December 5, 1956) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the prosecutor of Wayne County, Michigan since 2004. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she is the first African-American wo ...

in 2004

Political Office

*First female (

Governor of Michigan The governor of Michigan is the head of state, head of government, and chief executive of the U.S. state of Michigan. The current governor is Gretchen Whitmer, a member of the Democratic Party, who was inaugurated on January 1, 2019, as the stat ...

(c. 1987) from 2003 to 2011 *First Muslim American female (Michigan Legislature):

Rashida Tlaib Rashida Harbi Tlaib (, ; born July 24, 1976) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. The district includes the western half of Detroit, along with several of its western suburbs and much of the D ...

(c. 2004) from 2009 to 2014

Michigan State Bar Association

* First female president: Julia Donovan Darlow (1971) in 1986 *First African American female president: Victoria Roberts in 1996

Faculty

* First female law school dean: Joan Mahoney in 1998

Firsts in local history

* Patricia "Pat" Micklow: First female judge in

Upper Michigan The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the Peninsulas of Michigan, two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from t ...

(1987) * Margaret Zuzich Bakker (1978): First female district court judge in

Allegan County, Michigan Allegan County ( ) is a Counties of the United States, county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 120,502. The county seat is Allegan, Michigan, Allegan. The name was coined by Henry Rowe School ...

* Karen Tighe (1976): First female judge in

Bay County, Michigan Bay County is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 103,856. The county seat is Bay City. Bay County comprises the Bay City, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area and is included in the Saginaw-Midland-B ...

* Dora Whitney: First female lawyer in

Berrien County, Michigan Berrien County is a county on the south line of Michigan, at the southwestern corner of the state. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 154,316. The county seat is St. Joseph. Berrien County is included in the Niles- Benton Harbor, MI Me ...

* Mabel Mayfield: First African American female judge in

(2000) * Mary Coleman: First female judge in

Calhoun County, Michigan Calhoun County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 134,310. The county seat is Marshall. The county was established on October 19, 1829, and named after John C. Calhoun, who was at the time Vice ...

* Tracie Tomak: First female district court judge in

(2018) * Susan L. Dobrich: First female to serve as the County Prosecutor for

Cass County, Michigan Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 51,589. Its county seat is Cassopolis. Cass County is included in the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a t ...

(1984) * Kerry Zahner: First female Public Defender for

Charlevoix County, Michigan Charlevoix County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 26,054. The county seat is Charlevoix. History 1840s: surveyed and organized as Keskkauko County Between 1840 and 1841, surveyors Will ...

* Elizabeth Church: First female judge in

Chippewa County, Michigan Chippewa County is a county in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 36,785. The county seat is Sault Ste. Marie. The county is named for the Ojibwe (Chippewa) people, and was set off an ...

* Michelle Ambrozaitis: First female to serve as the County Prosecutor in

Clare County, Michigan Clare County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 30,856. The county seat is Harrison. History The county was created by the Michigan Legislature from part of Michilimackinac County in 1840, ...

(2009) * Alice Day Gardner: First female lawyer in

Genesee County, Michigan Genesee County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 406,211, making it the fifth-most populous county in Michigan. The county seat and population center is Flint (birthplace of General Motors) ...

* Elza Papp (1947): First female to serve as the Assistant Prosecutor (1947) and district court judge (1965) in

* Arthalu "Artie" Lancaster (1968): First female to serve as the President of the Genesee County Bar Association, Michigan (1987-1988) * Edwyna Goodwin Anderson: First African American female admitted to the Genesee County Bar Association, Michigan (1974) * Karen McDonald Lopez: First female (and African American female) to serve as the Flint City Attorney in

* Melanie Stanton (1989): First female judge in

Grand Traverse County, Michigan Grand Traverse County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,238, making it the largest county in Northern Michigan. Its county seat is Traverse City. The county is part of the Trave ...

* Amelia C. Leet (1894): First female lawyer in

Gratiot County, Michigan Gratiot County ( ') is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 41,761. The county seat is Ithaca, although its most populous city is Alma. Gratiot County comprises the Alma, MI Micropolitan Statistica ...

* Carolyn Stell: First female judge in

Ingham County, Michigan Ingham County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 284,900. The county seat is Mason. Lansing, the state capital of Michigan, is largely located within the county. (Lansing is the only ...

(1983) * Carol A. Siemon: First female to serve as the County Prosecutor for Ingram County, Michigan (2016) * Shauna Dunnings: First female and first African American to serve as a Probate Judge in Ingham County, Michigan (2019) * Kati Rezmierski: First female to serve as the Chief Assistant Prosecutor for

Jackson County, Michigan Jackson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. Its population was 160,366 as of the 2020 Census. The county seat is Jackson. The county was set off in 1829 and organized in 1832. It is named for U.S. President Andrew Jackson ...

(2013) * Elizabeth "Bessie" Eaglesfield: First female lawyer in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

nowiki/>Kent_County,_Michigan.html" ;"title="Kent_County,_Michigan.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Kent County, Michigan">nowiki/>Kent County, Michigan">Kent_County,_Michigan.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Kent County, Michigan">nowiki/>Kent County, Michigan* Carol Irons: First female judge in Kent County, Michigan (1982) * Susan Sniegowski: First female judge in Mason County and

Lake County, Michigan Lake County (formerly known as Aischum County) is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, the population was 12,096. The county seat is Baldwin, Michigan, Baldwin. ...

(2014) *

: First female to serve as the County Prosecutor for

Leelanau County, Michigan Leelanau County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 22,301. Since 2008, the county seat has been located within Suttons Bay Township ...

(1936) * Natalia Koselka: First female judge in

Lenawee County, Michigan Lenawee County ( ') is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 99,423. The county seat is Adrian, Michigan, Adrian. The county was created in 1822, from terri ...

(1982) * Tamaris Henagan-Sprow (2017): First female lawyer in Adrian, Michigan [

] * Suzanne Geddis: First female elected as a district court judge in Livingston County, Michigan (2004) * Sheila A. Miller (1990): First African American female judge in Macomb County, Michigan (2006) * Patricia "Pat" Micklow: First female to serve as an assistant prosecutor in

Marquette County, Michigan Marquette County ( ) is a county located in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 66,017. The county seat is Marquette. The county is named for Father Marquette, a Jesuit missionary. It wa ...

. She was also the first female to serve as a Judge of the 96th District Court for

(1987). * Susan Sniegowski: First female judge in Mason County and

(2014). She was also the first female to serve as the Prosecuting Attorney for Mason County, Michigan (2005). * Patricia Costello (1950): First female judge in

Monroe County, Michigan Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 154,809. The largest city and county seat is Monroe. The county was established as the second county (after Wayne County) in the Michigan Ter ...

* Ruth Thompson (1924): First female lawyer in

Muskegon County, Michigan Muskegon County is a Counties of the United States, county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, the population was 175,824. The county seat is Muskegon, Michigan, Muskegon. Muskegon County comprises the Muskegon, MI Metropolitan Statistic ...

* Denise Langford Morris: First African American female (and African American in general) circuit court judge in

Oakland County, Michigan Oakland County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 Census, its population was 1,274,395, making it the second-most populous county in Michigan, b ...

* Jessica R. Cooper: First female to serve as the Prosecutor for

(2008) * Cora VandeWater: First female judge in

Ottawa County, Michigan Ottawa County ( ) is a Counties of the United States, county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, United States 2020 Census, the population was 296,200. The county seat is Grand Haven, Michigan, Grand Haven ...

(1933) * Juanita F. Bocanegra: First Latino American female judge in

(2020) * Kathleen M. Brickley: First female judge in

Van Buren County, Michigan Van Buren County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 75,587. The county seat is Paw Paw. The county was founded in 1829 and organized in 1837. History The county was named for Martin Va ...

(2012) * Judith James Carlson: First female judge in

Washtenaw County, Michigan Washtenaw County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw ...

(1984) * Nancy Cornelia Wheeler (née Francis): First African American female judge in

(1990) * Betty R. Widgeon: First female (and African American female) to serve as a Judge of the 14-A District Court in

(1994) * Martha Strickland Clark (1887): First female lawyer in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

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