May Darlington Lahey (1889–1984) was an Australian who became a lawyer and a judge in the United States. Her career achievements in the United States pre-date similar achievements in Australia: she began practising law in California in 1914, thus becoming the first woman from Queensland to practise law. Likewise, she was appointed a judge in 1928, 35 years before

Roma Mitchell Dame Roma Flinders Mitchell, (2 October 1913 – 5 March 2000) was an Australian lawyer, judge and state governor. She was the first woman to hold a number of positions in Australia – the country's first woman judge, the first woman to be a ...

became the first female judge in Australia, therefore becoming the first Australian woman to serve as a judge.

Early life

Lahey was born in 1889 in

Canungra Canungra is a rural town and locality in the Scenic Rim Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Canungra had a population of 1,229 people. Geography Located in South East Queensland, Canungra is situated in the Gold Coast hint ...

, south-east Queensland, in 1889 to sawmill operator James Lahey and his wife Amelia. She attended Hillview State School in Canungra and

Brisbane Girls Grammar School , motto_translation = Nothing without labour , address = Gregory Terrace , city = Spring Hill , state = Queensland , postcode = 4000 , country = Australia , coordinates = , type = Independent secondary d ...

, completing her studies in 1906, and the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

. She had an uncle living in California and in 1910 she and her mother and sisters moved there. She attended the University of Southern California's College of Law, where she joined the law society

Phi Delta Delta Phi Delta Delta () was a women's professional law fraternity founded in 1911. It merged with Phi Alpha Delta in 1972.League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

and the Women Lawyers Club, and was also an active Republican - she campaigned for

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

in his 1928 presidential campaign.

Appointment as judge

In December 1928 Lahey was appointed a judge of the

Los Angeles County Superior Court The Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, is the California superior court with jurisdiction over Los Angeles County, which includes the city of Los Angeles. It is the largest single unified trial court in the United States. The ...

, the second woman to be appointed to the court. Lahey was in the news after Jean Harlow's new husband

Paul Bern Paul Bern (born Paul Levy; December 3, 1889September 5, 1932) was a German-born American film director, screenwriter, and producer for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he became the assistant to Irving Thalberg. He helped launch the career of Jean Harlo ...

was killed in a mysterious death that was ruled as suicide in 1932. Lahey ruled in Harlow's favour and made her an executor of her husband's estate. After 15 years' service, Lahey was unanimously elected the court's Presiding Judge, becoming the first woman to hold the position. Lahey briefly retired in 1947, due to ill health but resumed her legal career in 1951, ultimately retiring in 1965. She received the Ernestine Stahlhut award in 1965. She died in Los Angeles in 1984.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lahey, Darlington May 1889 births 1984 deaths 20th-century Australian lawyers Australian emigrants to the United States University of Sydney alumni USC Gould School of Law alumni 20th-century Australian women lawyers People educated at Brisbane Girls Grammar School