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

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

. 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 state history

Law School

* First female law graduate: Velma Peabody in 1938

Lawyers

*First female: Clara Hapgood Nash (1872) *First female (employed by Maine legislature): Gail Laughlin in 1913 *First female to argue case before Law Court: Alice Parker in 1932 *First female prosecutor: Suzanne E.K. Smith in 1972 *First

Penobscot The Penobscot (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewi'') are an Indigenous people in North America from the Northeastern Woodlands region. They are organized as a federally recognized tribe in Maine and as a First Nations band government in the Atlantic ...

female: Jill E. Tompkins (1989) *First

Passamaquoddy The Passamaquoddy ( Maliseet-Passamaquoddy: ''Peskotomuhkati'') are a Native American/First Nations people who live in northeastern North America. Their traditional homeland, Peskotomuhkatik'','' straddles the Canadian province of New Brunswick ...

female: Tina M. Farrenkopf (1997) *First Wabanaki female: Sherri Mitchell:

State judges

* First female (district court): Harriet Henry in 1973 * First female (superior court): Jessie Briggs Gunther in 1976 * First female (law court

Maine Supreme Judicial Court The Maine Supreme Judicial Court is the highest court in the state of Maine's judicial system. It is composed of seven justices, who are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Maine Senate. From 1820 until 1839, justices served lifetime a ...

Caroline Duby Glassman Caroline Duby Glassman (September 13, 1922 – July 10, 2013) was an American attorney and former jurist in the state of Maine. A native of Oregon, she completed college and law school in that state before moving to Portland, Maine, where she ...

in 1983 for the latter court * First female (Chief Justice;

): Leigh Saufley in 2001

Federal judges

*First female (federal judge): Margaret “Peggy” Kravchuk *First female (U.S. District Court for the District of Maine):

Nancy Torresen Nancy Torresen (born October 7, 1959) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Maine. She is the first female judge to serve in the District of Maine. Early life and education Torresen received a ...

(1987) in 2011

Attorney General of Maine The Maine Attorney General is the chief legal advisor and prosecutor of the State of Maine. The constitutional basis of the office is Article IX, Section 11 of the Maine Constitution, and the holder of the position is chosen biennially by the Maine ...

* First female:

Janet Mills Janet Trafton Mills (born December 30, 1947) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the 75th governor of Maine since January 2019. She previously served as the Maine Attorney General on two occasions. A member of the Democratic Pa ...

(c. 1976) in 2008

Deputy Attorney General

* First female (Chief Deputy Attorney General of Maine): Vendean Vafiades

District Attorney

* First female:

(c. 1976) in 1980

Political Office

*First female (

Governor of Maine The governor of Maine is the head of government of the U.S. state of Maine. Before Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820, Maine was part of Massachusetts and the governor of Massachusetts was chief executive. The current governor of Maine is J ...

(c. 1976) in 2018 *First Latino American female (Deputy Secretary of State for Maine): Joann Bautista in 2021

United States Attorney

* First female (interim): Paula D. Silsby in 2001 * First female (permanent): Darcie N. McElwee in 2021

Maine State Bar Association The Maine State Bar Association (MSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine ...

* First female: Phyllis Givertz (1974) around 1983

Firsts in local history

(c. 1976): First female to serve as a District Attorney in Androscoggin,

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 ...

and

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Counties, Maine (1980) * Natasha Irving: First female District Attorney for Knox,

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

, Sagadahoc and Waldo Counties, Maine (2019) * Jessie Briggs Gunther: First female to serve as a Judge of the Androscoggin County Superior Court, Maine * Adeline Bond Rines (1914): First female lawyer in

Cumberland County, Maine Cumberland County is a county in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2020 census, the population was 303,069, making it the most populous county in Maine. Its county seat is Portland. Cumberland County was founded in 1760 from a portion of Y ...

*Sigrid E. Tompkins: First female to serve as the President of the Cumberland County Bar Association, Maine (1974) *Stephanie Anderson: First female District Attorney for Cumberland County, Maine *Paula Sawyer: First female to graduate from the

University of Maine School of Law The University of Maine School of Law (UMaine Law or Maine Law) is public law school in Portland, Maine. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and Maine's only law school. It is also part of the University of Maine System. The school's ...

(1968) [

] *Agnes Robinson (1900): First female lawyer in Franklin County, Maine *Iola S. Kearney (1920): First female lawyer in Augusta, Maine Kennebec County, Maine, [Kennebec County, Maine] *Shirley Cogswell: First female to serve as the Chief Justice of the Pleasant Point – Passamaquoddy Pleasant Point Reservation, Passamaquoddy Tribal Court (1980) nowiki/>Washington_County,_Maine.html" ;"title="Washington_County,_Maine.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Washington County, Maine">nowiki/>Washington County, Maine">Washington_County,_Maine.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Washington County, Maine">nowiki/>Washington County, Maine

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:First women lawyers and judges in Maine Lawyers, Maine, first Maine, first Women, Maine, first Women, Maine, first Women in Maine Lists of people from Maine Maine lawyers