List of first women lawyers and judges in Utah explained

This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Utah. 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 graduate from law school or become a political figure.

Firsts in Utah's history

Lawyers

• First females: Phoebe Couzins and Cora Georgiana Snow Carleton (1872)^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}
• First female from Utah to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court: Agnes Swan around 1912
• First female to practice before the U. S. District Court for the District of Utah: Beryl Bonner Meyers (1926)^{[6] [7] [8]}
• First Asian American female: Eunice Chen (1973)^{[9] [10]}
• First Native American female: Mary Ellen Sloan (1975)
• First Hispanic American female: Sheila K. McCleve (1977):^{[11] [12] [13]}
• First African American female: Denise M. Mercherson (1979)

State judges

• First female: Reva Beck Bosone (1930) in 1936^{[14] [15]}
• First female (Third Judicial District): Christine M. Durham (1978)^{[16] [17]}
• First female (Utah Supreme Court): Christine M. Durham (1978) in 1982
• First Hispanic American female: Frances M. Palacios (1980) in 1992^{[18] [19]}
• First Hispanic American (female) (district court): Denise Posse-Blanco Lindberg in 1998^[20]
• First African American female: Shauna Graves-Robertson (1990) in 1999^{[21] [22]}
• First female (Fourth Judicial District): Claudia Laycock in 2001
• First female (Chief Justice; Utah Supreme Court): Christine M. Durham (1978) in 2002
• First female (Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals): Carolyn B. McHugh (1982) in 2014^[23]
• First openly LGBT (female): Camille Neider in 2017^{[24] [25]}

Federal judges

• First female (U.S. Bankruptcy Court): Judith Boulden (1974) in 1988
• First female (U.S. District Court for the District of Utah): Tena Campbell (1977) in 1995^[26]
• First Native American (female) (Magistrate; U.S. District Court for the District of Utah): Cecilia Romero in 2019

Attorney General

• First female: Jan Graham (1980) from 1993 to 2001^[27]

United States Attorney

• First Latino American female (Acting United States Attorney for the District of Utah): Andrea T. Martinez in 2021^[28]

Bar Associations

• First female president (Utah State Bar): Pamela Greenwood (1972) in 1990^[29]
• First minority (female) president (Utah State Bar): Angelina Tsu in 2015^{[30] [31]}
• First female president (Utah chapter–Federal Bar Association): Christine Fitzgerald Soltis (1975)

Firsts in local history

• Claudia Laycock: First female district court judge in Juab, Millard, Utah and Wasatch Counties, Utah (2001)
• Christine M. Durham (1978): First female district court judge for Salt Lake, Summit and Tooele Counties, Utah (1978)
• Cheryl Ann Russell (1976): First female lawyer in Logan, Utah [Cache County, Utah]
• Reva Beck Bosone (1930): First female lawyer in Carbon County, Utah
• Patricia Geary:^[32] First female to become the County Attorney for Emery County, Utah (c. 1992)
• Rebekah W. Hornbein (c. 1915): First female law graduate from the University of Utah [Salt Lake County, Utah]
• Margret Sidwell Taylor (1970): First female to work as a lawyer for the Public Defender's Office for Salt Lake County, Utah
• Sheila K. McCleve (1977): First female to work as a full-time prosecutor in Salt Lake City, Utah
• Patricia J. Marlowe (1973):^[33] First female to serve as the Deputy County Attorney for Salt Lake City, Utah [Salt Lake County, Utah]
• Lisa Garner:^[34] First female to serve as a Judge of the Draper Justice Court (2022) [<nowiki/>[[Salt Lake County, Utah|Salt Lake]] and Utah Counties, Utah]
• Elizabeth Kronk Warner:^[35] First (Native American) female to serve as the Dean of the S.J. Quinney College of Law (2019)
• Barbara G. Hjelle:^[36] First resident female lawyer in Washington County, Utah
• Karla Staheli:^[37] First female judge in Fifth District Court serving Juvenile Court in Washington County, Utah

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 Utah

References

1. Book: Shepley, Carol Ferring. Movers and Shakers, Scalawags and Suffragettes: Tales from Bellefontaine Cemetery. 2008. Missouri History Museum. 9781883982652. en.
2. Book: The Chicago Law Times. 78. 1887. C.V. Waite & Company. en.
3. Book: Women in Women in Utah History Utah History: Paradigm or Paradox?. Utah State University Press. 2005. Scott. Patricia Lyn.
4. Book: Women lawyers' journal. 1946. en.
5. Web site: Musser . Pete . 2019-10-02 . Utah AG Conference Room Dedicated to Utah's First Female Attorney . 2024-08-13 . Utah Attorney General . en-US.
6. Web site: Women's Legal History Biographical Search. Women's Legal History. en-US. 2017-10-25.
7. News: Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona on May 12, 1965 · Page 23. Newspapers.com. 2018-01-05. en.
8. News: The Ogden Standard-Examiner from Ogden, Utah on December 24, 1926 · Page 3. Newspapers.com. 2018-01-05. en.
9. Web site: Women Trailblazers in the Law: Utahs' First 100 Women Lawyers. 2011. Women Lawyers of Utah.
10. Web site: State Bar News: Utah Minority Bar Association First 50 Event. July–August 2005. Utah Bar Journal.
11. News: 2005-08-06 . Utah Minority Bar Association First 50 Event - Utah State Bar . Utah State Bar . 2016-10-20.
12. Web site: 2015 . The First 50 - the Utah State Bar . Utah State Bar Association . en.
13. Web site: Lee . Joshua . 2013-08-29 . Sheila McCleve looks back on BYU law school experience . 2022-03-08 . The Daily Universe . en-US.
14. Web site: Remarkable Utah Women. Uintah County Heritage Museum. 2018-01-02.
15. Book: Mormons & Gentiles: A History of Salt Lake City. registration. Alexander. Thomas G.. Allen. James B.. 1984. Pruett Publishing Company. 9780871086648. en.
16. News: Retiring Utah Supreme Court Justice Christine Durham is commemorated as a 'role model and inspiration' . en-US . The Salt Lake Tribune . 2018-01-09.
17. Web site: Israelsen-Hartley . Sara . 2009-01-02 . Female judges reflect change in attitudes . https://web.archive.org/web/20110419080422/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705274499/Female-judges-reflect-change-in-attitudes.html . dead . April 19, 2011 . 2018-12-26 . DeseretNews.com . en.
18. Book: Hispanic Link Weekly Report . 1992 . Hispanic Link News Service . en.
19. Upon Palacios becoming a Commissioner of the Third District Court of Utah in 1992.
20. News: . Question Appointment . The Salt Lake Tribune . 15 December 1998 . A12 .
21. Web site: Judge Graves Robertson. slco.org. 13 January 2017 . en. 2018-02-01.
22. News: Elementary students discuss crime and punishment with Utah's first black female judge. The Salt Lake Tribune. 2018-02-01. en-US.
23. News: Senate confirms first Utah woman to 10th Circuit Court bench . en-US . The Salt Lake Tribune . 2018-02-08.
24. Web site: Gehrke: Camille Neider is not only an excellent lawyer; now she's Utah's first openly LGBTQ judge. The Salt Lake Tribune. en-US. 2018-12-26.
25. Neider is the first openly LGBT individual overall.
26. News: 'NEIGHBORHOOD GIRL' MAKES GOOD, BECOMES U.S. JUDGE. https://web.archive.org/web/20180207062957/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/434108/NEIGHBORHOOD-GIRL-MAKES-GOOD-BECOMES-US-JUDGE.html. dead. February 7, 2018. 1995-08-17. DeseretNews.com. 2018-02-06. en.
27. News: Rolly: Lack of women in politics has real consequences. The Salt Lake Tribune. 2018-11-19. en-US.
28. Web site: 2021-03-05. Andrea T. Martinez Appointed Acting United States Attorney for the District of Utah. 2022-02-05. www.justice.gov. en.
29. Book: Women Lawyers' Journal. 1986. Women Lawyers' Club. en.
30. Web site: New Bar President Angelina Tsu,'02 Outlines Goals S.J. Quinney College of Law. www.law.utah.edu. 2019-01-07.
31. Web site: State bar swears in new president, honors Shumate. The Spectrum & Daily News. en. 2019-01-07.
32. Web site: EMERY'S NEW COUNTY ATTORNEY NEVER SHIES AWAY FROM A FIGHT. https://web.archive.org/web/20180928131243/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/212223/EMERYS-NEW-COUNTY-ATTORNEY-NEVER-SHIES-AWAY-FROM-A-FIGHT.html. dead. September 28, 2018. 1992-02-26. DeseretNews.com. en. 2018-12-26.
33. Web site: A SNEAK PEEK INTO "TRAILBLAZERS: UTAH'S FIRST 100 FEMALE ATTORNEYS". digitaleditions.walsworthprintgroup.com. en-US. 2018-12-26.
34. Web site: Two firsts in Draper's court: First female judge and her first time behind the bench Draper Journal . 2023-04-14 . www.draperjournal.com . en.
35. Web site: Kronk Warner . Elizabeth . Dean's Book Review . 2022-03-16 . ulink.utah.edu . en.
36. Web site: State bar honors Washington County's first resident female attorney. March 10. ladybugavenger. Reply. 2016 at 2:37 pm Log in to. en-US. 2019-01-06.
37. Web site: Utah judge dies at 61 after career spent caring for children . 2022-06-10 . The Salt Lake Tribune . en-US.