List of first women lawyers and judges in Pennsylvania

Firsts in state history

Lawyers

• Caroline Burnham Kilgore : First female lawyer in Pennsylvania
• Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander : First African American female lawyer in Pennsylvania
• Mari Carmen Aponte: First Latino American female lawyer in Pennsylvania
• Natalie Ruschell : First blind female lawyer in Pennsylvania

  Law Clerk

• Norma Levy Shapiro : First female to serve as a law clerk for the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

  Judicial Officers

State

Judges

• Sara M. Soffel: First female judge in Pennsylvania
• Hannah Elizabeth Byrd: First female magistrate in Pennsylvania
• Juanita Kidd Stout: First African American female judge in Pennsylvania
• Nusrat Rashid: First Muslim judge in Pennsylvania

  Commonwealth Court

• Genevieve Blatt: First female to serve as a Judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
• Doris Smith-Ribner : First African American female elected as a Judge of the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court

  Supreme Court

• Anne X. Alpern : First female appointed as Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
• Sandra Schultz Newman : First female elected as a Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court

  Federal

District Court

• Norma Levy Shapiro : First female appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Sylvia H. Rambo: First female appointed as a Senior United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
• Nitza I. Quiñones Alejandro : First openly LGBT Latino American female appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Petrese B. Tucker : First African American female to serve as the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
• Cathy Bissoon : First South Asian American female appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

  Attorneys General

• Anne X. Alpern : First female appointed as the Attorney General of Pennsylvania
• Kathleen Kane : First female elected as the Attorney General of Pennsylvania

  Deputy Attorney General

• Dr. M. Louise Rutherford: First female to serve as the Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania
• Michelle Henry: First female to serve as the First Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania

  Assistant Attorney General

• M. Vashti Burr: First female to serve as the Assistant Attorney General for Pennsylvania

  United States Attorney

• Laurie Magid: First female to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

  Assistant United States Attorney

• Barbara Kosik Whitaker: First female to serve as the Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Middle District of Pennsylvania

  Bar Association

• Leslie Anne Miller: First female to serve as the President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association
• Sharon López: First Latino American female to serve as the President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association

  Firsts in local history

Allegheny County

• Sara M. Soffel: First female judge in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
• Doris Smith-Ribner : First African American female appointed as a Judge of the Allegheny County Common Pleas Court
• Cynthia Baldwin: First African American female judge in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
• Donna Jo McDaniel: First female elected as the president judge in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

  Armstrong County

• Katie Charlton: First female District Attorney of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania

  Beaver County

• Debbie Kunselman: First female judge in Beaver County, Pennsylvania

  Blair County

• Jolene Grubb Kopriva : First female judge in Blair County, Pennsylvania

  Bucks County

• Harriet Mims: First female judge in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
• Diane Gibbons: First female District Attorney for Bucks County, Pennsylvania

  Butler County

• Jean Horan: First female judge in Butler County, Pennsylvania

  Cambria County

• Helena A. Ivory : First female lawyer in Cambria County, Pennsylvania
• Linda Fleming : First female judge in Cambria County, Pennsylvania

  Carbon County

• Jean A. Engler: First female District Attorney for Carbon County, Pennsylvania

  Centre County

• Stacy Parks Miller: First female District Attorney for Centre County, Pennsylvania

  Chester County

• Isabel Darlington: First female lawyer in Chester County, Pennsylvania
• Paula Francisco Ott: First female judge in Chester County, Pennsylvania
• Deborah “Deb” Ryan: First female District Attorney for Chester County, Pennsylvania

  Clarion County

• Shirley Ann Bellmer : First female lawyer in Clarion County, Pennsylvania
• Sara Seidle-Patton: First female to serve as a Judge of the Common Pleas in Clarion County, Pennsylvania

  Clinton County

• Gloria Haggerty: First female lawyer in Clinton County, Pennsylvania
• Kathleen Long: First female Public Defender for Clinton County, Pennsylvania
• Angela Harding: First female to serve as a Commissioner for Clinton County, Pennsylvania

  Crawford County

• Gloria Pepicelli: First female lawyer in Crawford County, Pennsylvania

  Cumberland County

• Sylvia H. Rambo: First female judge appointed to the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas for Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
• Syndi Guido Conrad : First female Assistant District Attorney for Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

  Delaware County

• Patricia Holstein: First female District Attorney for Delaware County, Pennsylvania
• Nusrat Rashid: First African American female to serve as a judge in Delaware County, Pennsylvania

  Erie County

• Zanita A. Zacks-Gabriel : First female lawyer in Erie, Pennsylvania

  Fayette County

• Ione Romeika : First female lawyer in Fayette County, Pennsylvania
• Nancy Vernon : First female judge and district attorney in Fayette County, Pennsylvania. She was also the first woman to practice criminal law in the county.

  Franklin County

• Carol Van Horn: First female judge in Franklin County, Pennsylvania

  Indiana County

• Stella McAnulty Hadden: First female Justice of the Peace in Indiana County, Pennsylvania

  Lancaster County

• Caroline Hoffer: First female President of the Lancaster Bar Association
• Heather Adams: First female to serve as the District Attorney for Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

  Lebanon County

• Holly F. Moehlmann : First female lawyer in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania

  Luzerne County

• Mary Luella Trescott: First female lawyer in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
• Mary Slesinski: First female Justice of the Peace in Laflin, Pennsylvania

  Lycoming County

• Louise Larzelere Chatham : First female lawyer in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

  Monroe County

• Margherita Patti-Worthington: First female to become President Judge of the Forty-Third Judicial District, Monroe County, Pennsylvania

  Montgomery County

• Risa Vetri Ferman: First female to serve as the District Attorney for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

  Montour County

• Rebecca Warren: First female elected as the District Attorney for Montour County, Pennsylvania

  Northampton County

• Joan Marinkovits: First female judge in Northampton Burough, Pennsylvania
• Tamara L. Greenfield King: First African American to serve as the Assistant District Attorney of Northampton County, Pennsylvania

  Northumberland County

• Ann Targonski: First female District Attorney for Northumberland County, Pennsylvania

  Philadelphia County

• Tillie Thompson Heilbron: First female to serve as the Assistant District Attorney for Philadelphia
• Hazel H. Brown: First female judge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Carolyn Engel Temin: First female Public Defender in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She later became a judge.
• Ann Butchart : First openly LGBT judge in Philadelphia and first LGBT candidate in Philadelphia

  Somerset County

• Lisa Lazzari-Strasiser: First female District Attorney for Somerset County, Pennsylvania

  Union County

• Katherine Pontius Baker: First female lawyer in Union County, Pennsylvania

  Wayne County

• Janine Edwards : First female judge in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. She was also the first female District Attorney in the county's history.
• Jocelyn Cramer: First female to serve as a Commissioner for Wayne County, Pennsylvania

  York County

• Sara A. Austin: First female lawyer from York County to serve as the President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association

  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 Pennsylvania