List of first women lawyers and judges in Nebraska
This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Nebraska. 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[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/ADA_M._BITTENBENDER.jpg/176px-ADA_M._BITTENBENDER.jpg)
Ada Bittenbender: First female lawyer in Nebraska (1882)
Lawyers[]
- Ada Bittenbender (1882):[1] First female lawyer in Nebraska
- Zanzye H.A. Hill (1929):[2] First African American female lawyer in Nebraska
Judicial Officers[]
State[]
Judges[]
- Elizabeth Davis Pittman (1949):[3][4][5] First female (and African American) judge in Nebraska (1971)
- Stefanie Martinez:[6] First Latino American female judge in Nebraska (2013)
District Court[]
- Mary Gilbride:[7] First female to serve as a district court judge in Nebraska (1998)
County Court[]
- Mary Gilbride:[7] First female to serve as a county judge in Nebraska (1992)
Supreme Court[]
- Lindsey Miller-Lerman:[8] First female appointed as a Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court (1998)
United States Attorney[]
- Deborah Gilg:[9] First female to serve as the U.S. Attorney in Nebraska (2009)
County Attorney[]
- Grace Ballard (1914):[10] First female to serve as a County Attorney in Nebraska (c. 1920s)
Bar Association[]
- Amy Longo (1979):[11] First female to serve as the President of the Nebraska Bar Association (1999)
Firsts in local history[]
Alphabetized by county name
Boone County[]
- Mary Gilbride:[7] First female to serve as a county judge (1992) and district court judge (1998) in the Fifth Judicial District, Nebraska [Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward and York Counties, Nebraska]
Box Butte County[]
- Karen Ditsch (1992):[12] First female elected County Attorney in Box Butte County, Nebraska (1999-2004)
Butler County[]
- Mary Gilbride:[7] First female to serve as a county judge (1992) and district court judge (1998) in the Fifth Judicial District, Nebraska [Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward and York Counties, Nebraska]
Cass County[]
- Stefanie Martinez:[6] First Latino American female to serve as a Judge of the County Court, Second Judicial District in Nebraska (2013) [Cass, Otoe, and Sarpy Counties, Nebraska]
Colfax County[]
- Mary Gilbride:[7] First female to serve as a county judge (1992) and district court judge (1998) in the Fifth Judicial District, Nebraska [Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward and York Counties, Nebraska]
Dawes County[]
Douglas County[]
- Elizabeth Davis Pittman (1949):[3][4][5] First African American female to graduate from the Creighton School of Law in Omaha, Nebraska (1971). She was also the first female (and African American female) appointed to deputy on the staff of the Douglas County Attorney's Office (1964). [Douglas County, Nebraska]
Hamilton County[]
- Mary Gilbride:[7] First female to serve as a county judge (1992) and district court judge (1998) in the Fifth Judicial District, Nebraska [Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward and York Counties, Nebraska]
Lancaster County[]
- Zanzye H.A. Hill (1929):[2] First African American female law graduate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (1929) [Lancaster County, Nebraska]
- Janice Gradwohl:[8] First female judge in Lancaster County, Nebraska (1974)
Merrick County[]
- Mary Gilbride:[7] First female to serve as a county judge (1992) and district court judge (1998) in the Fifth Judicial District, Nebraska [Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward and York Counties, Nebraska]
Nance County[]
- Mary Gilbride:[7] First female to serve as a county judge (1992) and district court judge (1998) in the Fifth Judicial District, Nebraska [Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward and York Counties, Nebraska]
Otoe County[]
- Stefanie Martinez:[6] First Latino American female to serve as a Judge of the County Court, Second Judicial District in Nebraska (2013) [Cass, Otoe, and Sarpy Counties, Nebraska]
Platte County[]
- Mary Gilbride:[7] First female to serve as a county judge (1992) and district court judge (1998) in the Fifth Judicial District, Nebraska [Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward and York Counties, Nebraska]
Polk County[]
- Mary Gilbride:[7] First female to serve as a county judge (1992) and district court judge (1998) in the Fifth Judicial District, Nebraska [Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward and York Counties, Nebraska]
Sarpy County[]
- Stefanie Martinez:[6] First Latino American female to serve as a Judge of the County Court, Second Judicial District in Nebraska (2013)[Cass, Otoe, and Sarpy Counties, Nebraska]
Saunders County[]
- Mary Gilbride:[7] First female to serve as a county judge (1992) and district court judge (1998) in the Fifth Judicial District, Nebraska [Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward and York Counties, Nebraska]
Seward County[]
- Mary Gilbride:[7] First female to serve as a county judge (1992) and district court judge (1998) in the Fifth Judicial District, Nebraska [Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward and York Counties, Nebraska]
Washington County[]
- Grace Ballard (1914):[10] First female to serve as the County Attorney for Washington County, Nebraska (c. 1920s)
York County[]
- Mary Gilbride:[7] First female to serve as a county judge (1992) and district court judge (1998) in the Fifth Judicial District, Nebraska [Boone, Butler, Colfax, Hamilton, Merrick, Nance, Platte, Polk, Saunders, Seward and York Counties, Nebraska]
See also[]
- List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States
- Timeline of women lawyers in the United States
- Women in law
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 Nebraska
References[]
- ^ Willard, Frances Elizabeth; Livermore, Mary Ashton Rice (1893). A Woman of the Century: Fourteen Hundred-seventy Biographical Sketches Accompanied by Portraits of Leading American Women in All Walks of Life. Moulton. p. 87.
- ^ a b Jr, J. Clay Smith (1999-01-01). Emancipation: The Making of the Black Lawyer, 1844–1944. University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 0812216857.
- ^ a b "Fuller sense of our history". Omaha.com. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
- ^ a b Smith, Jessie Carney (2012-12-01). Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events. Visible Ink Press. ISBN 9781578594245.
- ^ a b Gless, Alan G. (2008). The History of Nebraska Law. Ohio University Press. ISBN 9780821417874.
- ^ a b c d Morman, LeAnne. "Papillion Woman Appointed Judge Of 2nd Judicial District County Court". www.wowt.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Farmer, Sam. "Gilbride stepping aside from bench". Wahoo-Ashland-Waverly.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ a b Gradwohl, Janice (April 2000). "INCHING THROUGH THE GLASS CEILING: The History of the Selection of Women Judges in Nebraska" (PDF). Nebraska Lawyer. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
- ^ Clarridge, Emerson. "Nebraska U.S. Attorney Deborah Gilg retires after being asked to resign; Stenberg, Spray mentioned as possible successors". Omaha.com. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ a b Buhrman, Kathy Haley (2017-10-30). Washington County. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439663431.
- ^ "2002 Amy I. Longo". www.alumni.creighton.edu. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
- ^ "Karen Ditsch Attorney, Mediator, and Arbitrator - About Karen Ditsch". www.karenditsch.com. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ Gless, Alan G. (2008). The History of Nebraska Law. Ohio University Press. ISBN 9780821417874.
- ^ "Jim McKee: Fannie O'Linn, the first, second or fifth female attorney in state". JournalStar.com. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ^ Carpenter, Deb; Korte, Ken (2004-07-27). Chadron. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439614952.
Categories:
- Lists of women by occupation and nationality
- American women lawyers
- Nebraska law-related lists
- Lists of American legal professionals
- Women in Nebraska