This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in the U.S. state of

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

. 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 Washington's history

Lawyers

* First female:

Mary Leonard Mary Leonard (c. 1845–October 24, 1912) was an American attorney and accused murderer in the state of Oregon. A native of France, she was acquitted for the murder of her husband that many believed she had committed. After her trial, she s ...

(1885) * First Jewish American female: Bella Weretnikow Rosenbaum (1901) *First Filipino American female: Dolores Sibonga (1973) *First female quadriplegic: Holly Caudill (1995)

Law Clerks

* First female to clerk for the

Washington State Court of Appeals The Washington Court of Appeals is the intermediate level appellate court for the U.S. state, state of Washington (state), Washington. The court is divided into three divisions. Division I is based in Seattle, Division II is based in Tacoma, Wash ...

, Division III: Victoria L. Vreeland * First female to clerk for the Supreme Court of Washington: Susan Carlson in 2016

State judges

* First female (justice of the peace): Mildred Henthorn Hamill in 1911 * First female: Reah Whitehead (1893)in 1914 *First Latino American female: Carmen Otero in 1980 * First female (

Washington Supreme Court The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary of the U.S. state of Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the ...

): Carolyn R. Dimmick (1953) in 1981 * First African American female (municipal court): Norma S. Huggins in 1983 * First African American female (superior court): Norma S. Huggins in 1988 * First Asian American female: C. Kimi Kondo in 1991 *First female (Chief Justice;

Barbara Durham Barbara M. Durham (October 6, 1942 – December 30, 2002) was the first-ever female chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court. She also was a former federal judicial nominee to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Earl ...

in 1995 *First Korean American (female): Mariane Spearman in 1999 *First Iranian American (female): Susan Amini in 2013 *First Asian American, Latino American, and openly lesbian (female) (

Mary Yu Mary Isabel Yu (born 1957) is an American jurist and Associate Justice of the Washington Supreme Court and former judge of the King County Superior Court. She is the state's first openly gay, Asian American, and Latina Justice. She is also the ...

(1993) in 2014 *First (African American) openly lesbian female (superior court): Helen Whitener (1998) in 2015 *First (African American) openly lesbian female (

): Helen Whitener (1998) in 2020 *First Native American ( Pueblo of Isleta/ Pueblo of Laguna) (female) (

): Raquel Montoya-Lewis in 2020 *First South Asian female: Kuljinder Dhillon in 2021

Federal judges

*First female (

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington (in case citations, E.D. Wash.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of the state of Washington: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Che ...

): Rosanna M. Peterson (1991) *First Asian American (female) (

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington (in case citations, W.D. Wash.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of the state of Washington: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays ...

): Tana Lin in 2021 *First Native American (female) (

United States District Court for the Western District of Washington The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington (in case citations, W.D. Wash.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the following counties of the state of Washington: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays H ...

): Lauren J. King in 2021

Attorney General of Washington The Attorney General of Washington is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of Washington and head of the Washington State Office of the Attorney General. The attorney general represents clients of the state and defends the public interest i ...

* First female:

Christine Gregoire Christine Gregoire (; née O'Grady; born March 24, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 22nd governor of Washington from 2005 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, she defeated Republican candidate Dino Rossi in 2004, and again ...

(1977) from 1993-2004

Assistant Attorney General

* First female: June Fowles in 1939

Deputy Attorney General

*First female:

(1977) in 1981

United States Attorney

Jenny Durkan Jenny Anne Durkan (born May 19, 1958) is an American attorney, former federal prosecutor, and politician who served as the 56th mayor of Seattle, Washington. She is the daughter of Martin Durkan. Durkan is a member of the Democratic Party. Afte ...

(1986): First openly LGBT female appointed as a U.S. Attorney in Washington (2009) *

Vanessa Waldref Vanessa Ruth Waldref (born 1980) is an American lawyer who has served as the United States attorney for the Eastern District of Washington since October 2021. Early life and education Waldref is a native of Spokane, Washington. Her sister, Am ...

: First female to serve as the

United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal c ...

for the Eastern District of Washington (2021)

Assistant United States Attorney

* Holly Caudill: First female quadriplegic to work as an Assistant United States Attorney in Washington (1995)

Political Office

*First female (

State Senate):

Reba Hurn Rebecca Jane "Reba" Hurn (August 21, 1881 – 1967) was a lawyer and state legislator who lived in Spokane, Washington. She was the first woman elected to the Washington State Senate, serving from 1923 to 1930. Before launching her legal and polit ...

(1910) from 1923-1930 *

(1986): First openly LGBT female (a lawyer) elected as the Mayor of Seattle, Washington (2017) *

Laurie Jinkins Laurie A. Jinkins (born August 1964) is an American politician, attorney, and public health official from Tacoma, Washington who serves as a member of the Washington House of Representatives from the 27th district. A Democrat, she has served as S ...

(1990): First openly LGBT female (a lawyer) elected as a Member of the Washington House of Representatives from the Twenty-Seventh District (2011)

Washington State Bar Association The Washington State Bar Association (WSBA) operates under the delegated authority of the Washington Supreme Court to license the state's nearly 41,000 active and inactive lawyers and other legal professionals. In furtherance of its obligation to ...

* First female president: Elizabeth “Betty” Bracelin

Firsts in local history

* Kathryn Ann Mautz: First female judge in

Eastern Washington Eastern Washington is the region of the U.S. state of Washington located east of the Cascade Range. It contains the city of Spokane (the second largest city in the state), the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanfor ...

Charnelle Bjelkengren Charnelle Marie Bjelkengren (born 1975) is an American lawyer who has served as a judge of the Spokane County Superior Court since 2019. She is a former nominee to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for ...

: First African American female judge in

(2019) *Carolyn Brown: First female to serve as a Judge of the Benton-

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

Superior Court, Washington (1988) * Norma Rodriguez: First Latino American female to serve as a Judge of the Benton-Franklin Superior Court, Washington (2022) * Carol Wardell: First female judge in Chelan and Douglas Counties, Washington (1991) *Carol Fuller: First female to serve as a superior court judge in

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

and Thurston Counties, Washington (1979) *Susan Owens: First female judge in

Clallam County, Washington Clallam County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 77,155, with an estimated population of 78,209 in 2021. The county seat ...

*Lauren Erickson: First female appointed as a Judge of the Clallam County Superior Court, Washington (2019) *Barbara Johnson: First female judge in

Clark County, Washington Clark County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 503,311, making it Washington's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat and largest city is Vancouver. It was the first co ...

(1987) * Camara Banfield: First African American (female) to serve as a Judge of the Clark County Superior Court (2021) * Jill Johanson: First female appointed as a Judge of the Superior Court in

Cowlitz County, Washington Cowlitz County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 110,730. The county seat is Kelso, and its largest city is Longview. The county was formed in April 1854. Its name derives from the ...

* Eliza Forbes: First female Justice of the Peace in King County, Washington * Carmen Otero: First Latino American female judge in King County, Washington * Susan Amini: First

Iranian American Iranian Americans are United States citizens or nationals who are of Iranian ancestry or who hold Iranian citizenship. Iranian Americans are among the most highly educated people in the United States. They have historically excelled in busin ...

(female) to serve as a Judge of the King County Superior Court (2013) * Leila Robinson Sawtelle (1882): First female lawyer in Seattle, Washington (

King County, Washington King County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population was 2,269,675 in the 2020 census, making it the most populous county in Washington, and the 13th-most populous in the United States. The county seat is Seattle, also the st ...

, 1884) *Bella Weretnikow Rosenbaum (1901): First Jewish American female lawyer in Seattle, Washington ing County, Washington* Othilia Carroll Beals: First female Justice of the Peace in Seattle, Washington ing County, Washington*C. Kimi Kondo: First Asian American female to serve as a Judge of the Seattle Municipal Court in Washington (c. 1991) *Marcine Anderson: First female (and Asian American) elected as a Judge of the Shoreline District Court (King County, Washington; 2010) * Betty Fletcher: First female to serve as the President of the South King County Bar Association, Washington (1972) *Tracy Flood: First African American female judge in

Kitsap County, Washington Kitsap County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 275,611. Its county seat is Port Orchard, and its largest city is Bremerton. The county was formed out of King County and Jefferson County on ...

(2021) *Jo Anne Alumbaugh (1979): First female lawyer in

Kittitas County, Washington Kittitas County () is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 44,337. Its county seat and largest city is Ellensburg, Washing ...

*Joely O’Rourke: First female judge in

Lewis County, Washington Lewis County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 82,149. The county seat is Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia. Lewis County comprises the Centralia, WA Micropolitan Statisti ...

* Helen Whitener (1998): First openly LGBT and African American female to serve as Judge of the Pierce County Superior Court, Washington (2015) *Diane Clarkson: First African American female (and African American in general) to serve as the President of the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association, Washington (2016) *Mary Robnett: First female to serve as the Prosecuting Attorney for Pierce County, Washington (2019) *Kay Trumbull (1974): First female Judge of the Superior Court in

Snohomish County, Washington Snohomish County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 75th-most populous ...

(1910): First female lawyer in Spokane, Washington nowiki/>Spokane_County,_Washington.html" ;"title="Spokane_County,_Washington.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Spokane County, Washington">nowiki/>Spokane County, Washington">Spokane_County,_Washington.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Spokane County, Washington">nowiki/>Spokane County, Washington*Kathleen Taft (1935): First female judicial officer (a commissioner) in

Spokane County, Washington Spokane County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 539,339, making it the fourth-most populous county in Washington. The largest city and county seat is Spokane, the second largest cit ...

(1950) *Kathleen O’Connor (1975): First female Judge of the Superior Court of

*Gloria Ochoa-Bruck: First Latino American female judge in

*Charnelle Bjelkengren: First African American female to become a Judge of the Superior Court of

(2019) *Julia W. Ker (1912): First female lawyer in Olympia, Washington. She was also the first female police judge in Washington and the U.S. (1926). nowiki/>Thurston_County,_Washington.html" ;"title="Thurston_County,_Washington.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Thurston County, Washington">nowiki/>Thurston County, Washington">Thurston_County,_Washington.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Thurston County, Washington">nowiki/>Thurston County, Washington*Sally Elke: First female Justice of the Peace in Tumwater, Washington (1942) nowiki/>Thurston_County,_Washington.html" ;"title="Thurston_County,_Washington.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Thurston County, Washington">nowiki/>Thurston County, Washington">Thurston_County,_Washington.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Thurston County, Washington">nowiki/>Thurston County, Washington*Carol Fuller: First female to serve as a superior court judge in

and Thurston Counties, Washington (1979) *Aurel M. Kelly (1949): First female lawyer in Walla Walla, Washington [Walla Walla County, Washington] * Sandy Flores (2008): First Latin American female lawyer in Walla Walla County, Washington * Raquel Montoya-Lewis: First Native American ( Pueblo of Isleta/ Pueblo of Laguna) female judge in

Whatcom County, Washington Whatcom County is a county located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Washington, bordered by the Canadian Lower Mainland (the Metro Vancouver and Fraser Valley Regional Districts of British Columbia) to the north, Okanogan Coun ...

(2015) * Sonia Rodriguez True: First Latino American (female) to serve as a Commissioner (2020) and Judge (2022) of the

Yakima County Yakima County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 256,728. The county seat and largest city is Yakima. The county was formed out of Ferguson County in January 1865 and is named for the Yakam ...

Superior Court

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:First women lawyers and judges in Washington Lawyers, Washington DC, first Washington DC, first Women, Washington, first Women, Washington, first Women in Washington (state) Lists of people from Washington (state) Washington (state) lawyers