To commemorate both Black History and Women’s History Month, ACLEA’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee wants to highlight pioneering Black women attorneys who were truly the firsts of their time. Their fearless tenacity opened doors for many, and we pay tribute to them today and every day.

Constance Baker Motley (b. September 14, 1921 - d. September 28, 2005)
Civil rights advocate Constance Baker Motley was the first Black woman to be appointed to a federal judgeship in 1966. Her achievements also include working alongside Thurgood Marshall at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, representing Martin Luther King Jr., serving in the New York State Senate, and serving as Manhattan Borough President in New York City.

Charlotte E. Ray (b. January 13, 1850 - d. January 4, 1911)
In 1872, Charlotte Ray became the first Black woman attorney in the United States. She was active in the NAACP and the suffragist movement. Fun fact: she applied to and was admitted to Howard University Law School under the name “C. E. Ray,” in a possible attempt to hide her gender.

Elreta Melton Alexander (b. March 21, 1919 - d. March 14, 1998)
In 1945, Elreta Melton Alexander became the first Black woman to graduate from Columbia Law School. She was also the first Black woman in North Carolina to be licensed and practice as a lawyer. Other firsts that she holds include being the first Black woman to argue before the North Carolina Supreme Court, founder of one of the first integrated law firms in the South, and the first Black woman to be elected a district court judge in North Carolina.

Eunice Carter (b. July 16, 1899 - d. January 25, 1970)
Eunice Carter was one of the first Black women lawyers in New York state and one of the first women of color prosecutors in the United States. In fact, she was instrumental in taking down the famous mobster Charles “Lucky” Luciano. Her list of achievements also includes serving as chair of the United Nations Committee of Laws.

Jane Bolin (b. April 11, 1908 - d. January 8, 2007)
Jane Bolin was the first Black woman to graduate from Yale Law School, and in 1939 became the first Black woman judge in the country. She served as a judge in the New York Family Court for more than 40 years. She was also the first Black woman to work as an attorney for the New York Law Department, and likewise, to join the New York City Bar Association.

Lutie Lytle (b. November 19, 1875 - d. November 12, 1955)
Lutie Lytle was the third Black woman to earn a law degree in the United States, the first Black woman admitted to practice law in the states of Kansas and Tennessee, and in 1897, became one of the first women law instructors in the world. She held a deep love for the law and as the daughter of former enslaved people, understood intimately its powerful impact. “I like constitutional law because the anchor of my race is grounded on the constitution," Lytle said. "It is the certificate of our liberty and our equality before the law. Our citizenship is based on it, and hence I love it." She embraced her passion and used it to serve the Black community for her entire legal career.

Mary Ann Shadd Cary (b. October 9, 1823 - June 5, 1893)
Born in 1823, Mary Ann Shadd Cary was an abolitionist, journalist, and attorney. She was the first Black woman to become a newspaper editor in the United States and the second Black woman to earn a law degree in the country (the first was Charlotte E. Ray). Shadd Cary founded a newspaper, The Provincial Freeman, as part of a larger effort to help escaped enslaved people find assistance and cover abolitionist news and issues. She also founded a school for children of all races. In 1863, she became a recruiter for the Union Army, encouraging enslaved people to join the fight against the Confederacy. Not stopping there, she earned her law degree from Howard University in 1883 at 60 years old. Truly a legend.

Mahala Ashley Dickerson (b. October 12, 1912 – February 19, 2007)
In 1946, Mahala Ashley Dickerson became the first Black woman to practice law in the state of Alabama. She later became the first Black woman to be admitted to the Alaska State Bar, and the second in Indiana. Dickerson was a civil rights champion for her entire career. One of her most notable cases came in 1975, when she emerged victorious in an equal pay case for women professors at the University of Alaska. In 1982, she was recognized by the NAACP for her civil rights work, and in 1983, she became the first Black president of the National Association of Women Lawyers. She practiced law until the age of 91 and passed away in 2007 at the age of 94.

Paulette Brown (b. April 28, 1951 – )
In 2015, Paulette Brown became the first Black woman president of the American Bar Association. During her tenure, she played a key role in developing major diversity initiatives including the drafting of an ABA House of Delegates resolution encouraging all states to require attorneys to take a mandatory continuing legal education course on the subject of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. Brown also served as Senior Partner and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Locke Lorde LLP. Her decades-long legal career continues to thrive, and her brilliance is matched only by her humility and grace.

Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (b. January 2, 1898 – November 1, 1989)
Sadie Alexander was the first woman to earn a PhD in economics in the United States and in 1927, she became the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She was an Assistant City Solicitor for the City of Philadelphia and was a civil rights advocate, working closely with the ACLU, the National Urban League, and other leading civil rights organizations. In 1947, she was appointed to the President's Committee on Civil Rights by President Harry S. Truman and in 1978, was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve as chairperson of the White House Conference on Aging.

Ketanji Brown Jackson (b. September 14, 1970 - )
In 2022, Ketanji Brown Jackson became the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Justice Jackson held an impressive career even before being appointed to the Supreme Court. She went to Harvard College and Harvard Law School. After graduating from law school, she clerked for three federal judges, including Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. She also worked as a federal public defender and served as Vice Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission. She was then appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as a judge on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and later was appointed by President Biden to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Michelle Obama (b. January 17, 1964 - )
Michelle Obama served as the first Black First Lady of the United States. She is also an accomplished lawyer, author, and Grammy winner. As First Lady, Michelle Obama pioneered initiatives aimed at combating childhood obesity, supporting veterans and military families, and helping students achieve the educational and vocational skills they need to become successful in the job market. She also encouraged educational pursuits for young girls and women worldwide.

Kamala Harris (b. October 20, 1964 - )
Kamala Harris has an impressive list of accolades and has achieved many “firsts” in her career. She was the first person of color elected to serve as District Attorney of San Francisco and later became the first Black and first South Asian American Attorney General of California. In 2017, Harris was elected to the United States Senate and just three years later, she became the first woman, first Black person, and first South Asian American person to be elected to serve as Vice President of the United States.

These trailblazers truly changed the game, and we are forever grateful for their contributions to the legal profession and our entire legal justice system.

This post is a compilation of previous posts on the Lawline Blog, authored by Angelica Cesario.