List of first women lawyers and judges in Florida
This is a list of the first women lawyer and judge in Florida. It includes the year in which the women were admitted to practice law. 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
Lawyers
- Louise R. Pinnell : First female lawyer in Florida
- Marian Borros : First Hispanic American female lawyer in Florida
- Bernice Gaines : First African American female lawyer in Florida
- Haley Moss : First female lawyer openly with autism in Florida
Judicial Officers
State
Judges
- Bessie Bellinger: First female to act in a judicial capacity in Florida
- Edith Atkinson: First female judge in Florida
- Leah Simms : First African American female judge in Florida
- Margarita Esquiroz : First Cuban American female appointed as a judge in Florida
County Court
- Susan H. Black: First female county court judge in Florida
Circuit Court
- Susan H. Black: First female circuit court judge in Florida
- Maria Korvick: First Hispanic American female to serve as a Circuit Court Judge in Florida
- Melvia Green: First African American female to serve as a circuit judge in Florida
- Marva L. Crenshaw: First African American female to serve as a Judge of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court in Florida
- Sandra Edwards-Stephens: First African American female to serve as a Judge of the Fifth Circuit Court in Florida
- Joyce H. Williams: First African American to serve as a Judge of the First Judicial Circuit in Florida
- Barbara Hobbs: First African American female to serve as a Judge of the Second Judicial Circuit Court in Florida
- Bertila Soto : First Cuban American female appointed as a Chief Circuit Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida
- Maria Ruhl: First Hispanic American female appointed as a Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit of Florida
- Kimberly C. Bonner: First female to serve as the Chief Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court in Florida
Appellate Court
- Rhea Grossman: First female to serve temporarily as a Judge of the District Court of Appeal
- Anne C. Booth: First female appellate court judge in Florida
- Peggy Quince : First African American female appointed as a Judge of the Florida Second District Court of Appeal
- Carole Y. Taylor : First African American female appointed as a Judge of the Fourth District Court of Appeal
- Virginia M. Hernandez Covington : First Cuban American female appointed as a Judge of the Florida Second District Court of Appeal
- Bobby W. Gunther: First female appointed as a Judge of the Fourth District Court of Appeal in Florida
- Barbara Lagoa : First Hispanic American female appointed as a Judge of the Third District Court of Appeals in Florida
- Nikki Clark: First African American female to serve as a Judge of the First District Court of Appeals in Florida
Supreme Court
- Rhea Grossman: First female to serve temporarily as a Justice of the Florida Supreme Court
- Rosemary Barkett : First female appointed as a Justice of the Florida Supreme Court and as its Chief Justice
- Peggy Quince : First African American female to serve as a Justice and Chief Justice of the Florida Supreme Court
- Barbara Lagoa : First Hispanic American female appointed as a Justice of the Florida Supreme Court
Federal
Administrative Law
- Eleanor Hunter: First African American to serve as an Administrative Law Judge in Florida
District Court
- Susan H. Black: First female federal judge in Florida
- Lenore Carrero Nesbitt : First female appointed as a Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- Cecilia Altonaga : First Cuban American female appointed as a Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida
Attorney General
- Pam Bondi : First female to serve as the Attorney General of Florida
Assistant Attorney General
- Rebecca Bowles Hawkins : First female Assistant Attorney General of Florida
State Attorney
- Janet Reno : First female to serve as a State Attorney in Florida
- Aramis Ayala: First African American female to become a State Attorney in Florida
Assistant State Attorney
- Susan H. Black: First female to serve as an Assistant State Attorney in Florida
County Attorney
- Annie Joe Law: First female to serve as a County Attorney in Florida
Public Defender
- Barbara Linthicum - preceded Nancy Daniels: First female to serve as a Public Defender in Florida
Bar Association
- Patricia A. Seitz: First female to serve as President of the Florida State Bar Association
Firsts in local history
Region
- Ariana Fajardo Orshan: First female appointed as a U.S. Attorney in South Florida
Alachua County
- Stacy A. Scott: First female Public Defender of the Eighth Judicial Circuit
Baker County
- Stacy A. Scott: First female Public Defender of the Eighth Judicial Circuit
Bradford County
- Stacy A. Scott: First female Public Defender of the Eighth Judicial Circuit
Brevard County
- Frances Ann Jamieson : First female lawyer in Brevard County, Florida
- Cathleen B. Clarke: First African American judge in Brevard County, Florida
Broward County
- Angeline Weir : First female County Solicitor in Broward County, Florida
- Mildred S. Akerman : First female elected judge in Broward County, Florida
- Elizabeth Athanasakos : First female municipal judge in Broward County, Florida
- Barbara Bridge : First female judge of the County Court in Broward County, Florida
- Mary Rudd-Robinson: First African American female judge in Broward County, Florida
- Cynthia Everett: First female to serve as the City Attorney for Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Clay County
- Pauline Drake: First African American female to serve as a Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court
- Kristina Mobley: First female county judge in Clay County, Florida
Collier County
- Hixon Holley: First female judge in Collier County, Florida
DeSoto County
- Maria Ruhl: First Hispanic American female appointed as a Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Duval County
- Susan H. Black: First female to serve as a Judge of the Duval County Court in Florida
- Pauline Drake: First African American female to serve as a Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court
Escambia County
- Bessie Bellinger: First female to act in a judicial position in Escambia County, Florida
Gadsden County
- Kathy Garner: First female judge in Gadsden County, Florida
Gilchrist County
- Sheree H. Lancaster: First female judge in Gilchrist County, Florida
- Stacy A. Scott: First female Public Defender of the Eighth Judicial Circuit
Hernando County
- Annie Joe Law: First female to serve as the County Attorney in Hernando County, Florida
- Linda J. Treiman : First female lawyer in Brooksville, Florida
Hillsborough County
- Mae Wood : First female lawyer in Hillsborough County, Florida
- Arthenia Joyner : First African American female lawyer in Hillsborough County, Florida
- Josephine Howard Stafford: First female to serve as a Judge of the Municipal Court of Tampa, Florida
- Carolyn House Stewart: First African American female to serve as the Assistant State Attorney of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit
- Susan C. Bucklew: First female appointed as a Judge of the Hillsborough County Superior Court and circuit court judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Florida
- Julianne Holt: First female Public Defender of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit
Indian River County
- Nicole Menz: First female judge in Indian River County, Florida
Leon County
- Judith Hawkins: First African American judge in Leon County, Florida
- Cassandra Jackson: First African American female to serve as the City Attorney for Tallahassee, Florida
- Barbara Linthicum and Nancy Daniels: First female Public Defenders respectively for Leon County, Florida
Levy County
- Stacy A. Scott: First female Public Defender of the Eighth Judicial Circuit
Manatee County
- Maria Ruhl: First Hispanic American female appointed as a Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Miami-Dade County
- Edith Atkinson: First female judge in Dade County, Florida
- Gwen Cherry : First African American female lawyer in Dade County, Florida
- Mattie Belle Davis: First female to serve as a Judge of the Metropolitan Court of Dade County, Florida
- Janet Reno : First female to serve as a State's Attorney in Miami-Dade County, Florida
- Kathy Fernandez Rundle: First Cuban American to serve as a State Attorney in Miami-Dade County, Florida
- Dixie L. Herlong Chastain: First female appointed as a judge of the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court in Dade County, Florida. She was also the sixth female judge in Florida.
- Abigail Price Williams : First female to serve as the County Attorney for Miami-Dade County, Florida
Nassau County
- Suzanne Bass: First female judge in Nassau County, Florida
- Pauline Drake: First African American female to serve as a Judge of the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court
Okeechobee County
- Mary Sandefur Schulman : First female lawyer in Okeechobee County, Florida
Orange County
- Aramis Ayala: First African American to serve as the State's Attorney of Orange County, Florida
Osceola County
- Gabrielle Sanders: First African American female judge in Osceola County, Florida
Palm Beach County
- Anne E'del Deacon: First female municipal judge in Palm Beach, Florida and fifth female judge in Florida
- Catherine Brunson: First African American female lawyer to work for the Palm Beach County Attorney’s Offic
e, set up a law practice, and serve as a Judge of the Circuit Court in Palm Beach County - Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes: First African American female to serve as President of the Palm County Bar Association, Florida
- Meenu Sasser: First Asian American judge in Palm Beach County, Florida
Pinellas County
- C. Bette Wimbish : First African American female lawyer in Pinellas County, Florida
- Catherine Harlan: First female county judge in Pinellas County, Florida
Polk County
- Mada Fraser Babcock McLendon: First female municipal judge in Lake Wales, Florida and third female judge in Florida
- Karla Foreman Wright: First African American female judge in Polk County, Florida
Putnam County
- Mary K
ennerly Buckles: First female judge in Putnam County, Florida and second female judge in Florida Sarasota County
- Maria Ruhl: First Hispanic American female appointed as a Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit of Florida
St. Lucie County
- Elsie O'Laughlin : First female lawyer and judge in St. Lucie County, Florida
- Pamela Fort: First African American female lawyer in Fort Pierce, Florida
Union County
- Stacy A. Scott: First female Public Defender of the Eighth Judicial Circuit
Other topics of interest
- List of first minority male lawyers and judges in the United States
- List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Florida