List of first women lawyers and judges in Arkansas

This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Arkansas. 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 obtain a law degree or become a political figure.

Firsts in state history
Leslie Rutledge: First female elected as the Attorney General for Arkansas (2015)

Degree
  • Cindy Thyer:[1] First female (a Circuit Court judge) to receive a master's degree in judicial studies in Arkansas (2019)

Lawyers
  • Sarah Shields (1918):[2] First female lawyer in Arkansas
  • Sharon E. Bernard Miller (1970):[3] First African American female lawyer in Arkansas

Law Clerk
  • Joyce Williams Warren (1976):[4][5][6] First African American female (and African American overall) to serve as a law clerk for the Arkansas Supreme Court (1977)

Judges

District Court

Circuit Court
  • Elsijane Trimble Roy (1939):[7][8] First female appointed as a Judge of the Eighth Circuit Court of Arkansas (1977–1999)
  • Kathleen Bell:[4] First African American female appointed as a Judge of the First Circuit in Arkansas (1988)
  • Michelle Huff:[9] First female appointed as a Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit in Arkansas (2019)

Appellate Court

Supreme Court

Attorneys General

Prosecuting Attorney
  • Betty Dickey:[12] First female to be elected as a Prosecuting Attorney in Arkansas (1995)

Bar Association
  • Carolyn Witherspoon:[12] First female President of the Arkansas Bar Association (1995)

Firsts in local history

Alphabetized by county name

Arkansas County
  • Betty Dickey:[12] First female to be elected as a Prosecuting Attorney for the Eleventh Judicial District (Arkansas, Jefferson and Lincoln Counties, Arkansas; 1995)
Benton County
  • Georgia Kimbro Elrod:[17] First female Lawyer in Benton County, Arkansas (1974)
Boone County
  • Ruth LaVerne Grayson:[18] First female county judge in Boone County, Arkansas
Cowley County
  • Leona P. Thurman (1949):[19] First African American female lawyer in Kansas City, Arkansas [Cowley County, Arkansas]
Faulkner County
  • Carol Crews:[20] First female Prosecuting Attorney for the Twentieth Judicial District, Arkansas (Faulkner, Searcy and Van Buren Counties, Arkansas; 2018)
Jackson County
  • Michelle Huff:[9] First female appointed as a Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit in Arkansas (2019) [Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph and Sharp Counties, Arkansas]
Jefferson County
  • Kim Bridgeforth:[21] First female judge in Jefferson County, Arkansas
  • Betty Dickey:[12] First female to be elected as a Prosecuting Attorney for the Eleventh Judicial District (Arkansas, Jefferson and Lincoln Counties, Arkansas; 1995)
Lafayette County
  • Stephanie Black:[22] First female Prosecuting Attorney for the Eighth Judicial District, Arkansas (Lafayette and Miller Counties, Arkansas; 2015)
Lawrence County
  • Michelle Huff:[9] First female appointed as a Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit in Arkansas (2019) [Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph and Sharp Counties, Arkansas]
Lincoln County
  • Betty Dickey:[12] First female to be elected as a Prosecuting Attorney for the Eleventh Judicial District (Arkansas, Jefferson and Lincoln Counties, Arkansas; 1995)
Miller County
  • Pauline LaFon Gore (1936):[23][24] First female lawyer in Texarkana, Arkansas [Miller County, Arkansas]. She was the mother of former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.
  • Stephanie Black:[22] First female Prosecuting Attorney for the Eighth Judicial District, Arkansas (Lafayette and Miller Counties, Arkansas; 2015)
  • Cathy Hardin Harrison:[25] First elected female county judge in Miller County, Arkansas (2019)
Ouachita County
  • Maud Crawford (1927):[26] First female lawyer in Camden, Arkansas [Ouachita County, Arkansas]
Pulaski County
  • Joyce Williams Warren (1976):[4][5] First African American female judge in Pulaski County, Arkansas (1988)
Randolph County
  • Michelle Huff:[9] First female appointed as a Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit in Arkansas (2019) [Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph and Sharp Counties, Arkansas]
Saline County
  • Barbara Webb:[27] First female circuit judge in Saline County, Arkansas (2017)
Searcy County
  • Carol Crews:[20] First female Prosecuting Attorney for the Twentieth Judicial District, Arkansas (Faulkner, Searcy and Van Buren Counties, Arkansas; 2018)
Sharp County
  • Michelle Huff:[9] First female appointed as a Judge of the Third Judicial Circuit in Arkansas (2019) [Jackson, Lawrence, Randolph and Sharp Counties, Arkansas]
Van Buren County
  • Carol Crews:[20] First female Prosecuting Attorney for the Twentieth Judicial District, Arkansas (Faulkner, Searcy and Van Buren Counties, Arkansas; 2018)
Washington County
  • Stacy Leeds:[28] First Native American (Cherokee) female to become the Dean of the University of Arkansas Law School [Washington County, Arkansas]
  • Suzanne Lighton:[29][30] First female lawyer in Washington County, Arkansas

See also

Other topics of interest

References
  1. Newsdesk, Region 8. "First woman in state to receive master's degree in judicial studies". KAIT8. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
  2. Ross, Frances Mitchell (1998). "Reforming the Bar: Women and the Arkansas Legal Profession". University of Arkansas at Little Rock Law Review. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  3. II, Charles F. Robinson; Williams, Lonnie R. (2015-02-20). Remembrances in Black: Personal Perspectives of the African American Experience at the University of Arkansas, 1940s–2000s. University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 9781557286758.
  4. 3 Blacks Get Judgeships in Arkansas from Governor. Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. 1989-10-09. p. 22.
  5. Finn, Marie T.; Irvine, Diana R.; Bliss, Mary Lee; Pratton, Gina L. (CON); Morgan, Samantha (CON) (2009). The American Bench. Forster-Long. ISBN 9780931398582.
  6. Communications, Office of; 2801 S. University Avenue Little Rock, AR 72204; communications@ualr.edu, Phone:501 683 7397 Email (2012-11-21). "Joyce Williams Warren - Judge". Success. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
  7. "Arkansas Women's Hall of Fame: Judge Elsijane Trimble Roy, Legal Trailblazer". Arkansas Business. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  8. "Elsijane Trimble Roy (1916–2007)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  9. "The Times Dispatch ~ Walking on the glass ceiling ... Huff takes the bench". www.thetd.com. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
  10. "1960s and 1970s". The Arkansas Lawyer. Fall 2017. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  11. "Andree Yvonne Layton Roaf (1941–2009) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas". www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  12. Dillard, Tom (November 8, 2015). "Women of the Bar". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  13. "Betty Dickey (1940–) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas". www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  14. "New Chief Justice Sworn In" (PDF). Arkansas Administrative Office of the Courts. January 2004.
  15. Brantley, Max. "Another woman made history earlier in attorney general's office". Arkansas Times. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  16. "Interim Attorney General Steps Down in Arkansas". Tulsa World. Retrieved 2018-11-19.
  17. "Georgia Kimbro Elrod is First Female Lawyer in Benton County, AR". Northwest Arkansas Times. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  18. "Obituary for Ruth LaVerne Grayson". www.rollerfuneralhomes.com. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  19. "Leona P. Thurman, K.C's first Black woman lawyer | African American Registry". www.aaregistry.org. Retrieved 2016-10-07.
  20. Hicks, Marisa. "Crews is first woman to serve as district's elected prosecutor". Log Cabin Democrat. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  21. Briggs, Shakari. "First female firefighter promoted to first female lieutenant". Pine Bluff Commercial. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
  22. Staff, KSLA. "Carlton Jones sworn in as District Judge for Miller and Lafayette Counties". Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  23. "Washingtonpost.com: Gore Cultivates Women Voters". www.washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  24. J, Clinton, William (1996-01-01). Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton, 1995. Best Books on. ISBN 9781623767990.
  25. "1st female county judge takes Miller County reins". Arkansas Online. 2019-01-02. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
  26. "Maud Robinson Crawford (1891–1957) - Encyclopedia of Arkansas". www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
  27. Brantley, Max. "Hutchinson names Barbara Webb to fill vacant judgeship in Saline County". Arkansas Times. Retrieved 2018-12-27.
  28. "Judge Stacy Leeds". www.americanbar.org. Retrieved 2018-02-05.
  29. "WORKING IN A LAW FIRM WITH HER HUSBAND". Northwest Arkansas Times. Fayetteville, Arkansas. January 27, 1974. p. 9. Retrieved 2018-02-13 – via Newspapers.com.
  30. The Arkansas Lawyer. Arkansas Bar Association. 1979.
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