List of first women lawyers and judges in Florida

This is a list of the first women lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Florida. 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 Florida's history

Susan H. Black: First female county (1973), circuit (1975) and federal court (1979) judge in Florida

Rosemary Barkett: First female Justice (1985) and Chief Justice (1992) of the Florida Supreme Court

Barbara Lagoa: First Hispanic American female Justice of the Florida Supreme Court (2019)

Law School

• First female law graduate: Mary Stewart Howarth-Hewitt (c. 1908) ^[1]

Lawyers

• First female: Louise R. Pinnell (1898) ^[2]
• First Hispanic American female: Elva Victoria Diaz (1932) ^{[2] [3] [4]}
• First African American female: Bernice Gaines (1958) ^{[5] [6] [7]}
• First Bangladeshi American (female): Zubaida Iqbal (2014) ^[8]
• First Dominican (female) authorized to practice Dominican law in Florida: Francia Liriano (2015) ^[9]
• First female openly autistic: Haley Moss (2019) ^{[10] [11]}

State judges

• First female (judicial capacity): Bessie Bellinger in 1922 ^{[12] [13]}
• First female (judge): Edith Atkinson in 1924 ^{[14] [15]}
• First female (serve temporarily on the Florida District Court of Appeal and Florida Supreme Court) Rhea Grossman in 1971 and 1972 respectively ^[16]
• First female (county court and circuit court): Susan H. Black in 1973 and 1975 respectively ^[17]
• First female (appellate court): Anne C. Booth in 1978 ^{[18] [19]}
• First female (business court): Renee Roche in 2004 ^[20]
• First Hispanic American female (circuit court): Maria Korvick in 1981 ^[16]
• First African American female: Leah Simms (1974) in 1981 ^{[21] [22] [23]}
• First Cuban American female: Margarita Esquiroz (1974) in 1984 ^{[24] [25] [26]}
• First (Arab American and Hispanic American) female (Florida Supreme Court): Rosemary Barkett (1970) in 1985 ^[27]
• First female (Fourth District Court of Appeal): Bobby W. Gunther in 1986 ^{[28] [29]}
• First African American female (circuit court): Melvia Green in 1989 ^[30]
• First (Arab American and Hispanic American) female (Florida Supreme Court; Chief Justice): Rosemary Barkett (1970) in 1992 ^[27]
• First African American female (Second District Court of Appeal): Peggy Quince (1975) in 1993 ^{[22] [31]}
• First openly lesbian female: Victoria Sigler in 1994 ^[32]
• First Jewish American female (Florida Supreme Court): Barbara Pariente in 1997 ^[33]
• First African American female (Fourth District Court of Appeal): Carole Y. Taylor (1974) in 1998 ^{[28] [34]}
• First African American female (Florida Supreme Court): Peggy Quince (1975) in 1998 ^{[22] [31]}
• First African American female (Thirteenth Judicial Circuit): Marva L. Crenshaw in 2000 ^[30]
• First openly lesbian female (circuit court): Victoria Sigler in 2000 ^[35]
• First African American female (Fifth Circuit Court): Sandra Edwards-Stephens in 2000 ^[30]
• First Cuban American female (Second District Court of Appeal): Virginia M. Hernandez Covington (1980) in 2001 ^[36]
• First African American (female) (First Judicial Circuit): Joyce H. Williams in 2005 ^[30]
• First Colombian American (female): Catalina M. Avalos in 2005 ^[37]
• First Hispanic American (Cuban American) female (Third District Court of Appeals): Barbara Lagoa (1992) in 2006 ^[38]
• First Ethiopian American (female): Nina Ashenafi-Richardson in 2008 ^{[39] [40]}
• First African American female (Florida Supreme Court; Chief Justice): Peggy Quince (1975) in 2008 ^{[22] [31]}
• First African American female (First District Court of Appeals): Nikki Clark in 2009 ^[41]
• First Colombian American (female) elected: Diana Gonzalez-Whyte in 2012 ^[42]
• First African American female (Second Judicial Circuit Court): Barbara Hobbs in 2012 ^[43]
• First Asian American [female] (Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida): Jeanette Dejuras Bigney in 2012 ^[44]
• First Cuban American female (Chief Circuit Judge; Eleventh Judicial Circuit): Bertila Soto (1986) in 2013 ^[45]
• First Dominican (female): ^[46] Gisela Laurent in 2016 (upon her appointment to the Ninth Circuit Court)
• First (Hispanic American) female (Twelfth Judicial Circuit): Maria Ruhl in 2019 ^[47]
• First Hispanic American (Cuban American) female (Florida Supreme Court): Barbara Lagoa (1992) in 2019 ^[38]
• First female (Chief Judge; Twelfth Judicial Circuit): Kimberly C. Bonner in 2019 ^[48]
• First Caribbean American (female) (justice-designate of the Florida Supreme Court until appointment was nullified): Renatha Francis in 2020 ^[49]
• First Haitian American (female) (Eleventh Circuit Court): Lody Jean in 2020 ^[50]
• First African American female (Seventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida): Alicia Washington in 2020 ^[51]
• First Colombian American (female) (Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida): Tarlika Nunez-Navarro in 2021 ^[52]
• First Filipino American (female): Melissa Cordon Black in 2022 ^[53]

Federal judges

• First female: Susan H. Black in 1979 ^{[17] [54]}
• First African American female: Mary Scriven ^[55]
• First African American (female) (Administrative Law Judge): Eleanor Hunter ^[43]
• First female (United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida): Lenore Carrero Nesbitt (1960) in 1983 ^[16]
• First Cuban American female (United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida): Cecilia Altonaga (1983) in 2003 ^[56]
• First African American female (United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida): Marcia G. Cooke in 2004 ^[57]
• First Hispanic American (female) (U.S. Bankruptcy Court - Southern District of Florida): Corali Lopez-Castro in 2023 ^[58]

Attorney General of Florida

• First female: Pam Bondi (1990) in 2010 ^[59]

Assistant Attorney General of Florida

• First female: Rebecca Bowles Hawkins (1935) in 1948 ^[60]

United States Attorney

• First female (Middle District of Florida): Donna Bucella ^[55]
• First Hispanic American female (Middle District of Florida): Maria Chapa Lopez in 2018 ^[55]
• First female (Southern District of Florida): Ariana Fajardo Orshan in 2018 ^{[61] [62] [63] [64]}

State Attorney

• First female: Janet Reno (1963) in 1978 ^[65]
• First Cuban American (female): Katherine Fernandez Rundle in 1994 ^[66]
• First African American (female): Aramis Ayala in 2016 ^{[67] [68]}

Assistant State Attorney

• First female: Susan H. Black in 1969 ^[17]

County Attorney

• First female: Annie Joe Law in 1928 ^{[69] [70]}

Public Defender

• First female: Barbara Linthicum (1989-1990) ^{[71] [72]}

Florida Bar Association

• First female president: Patricia A. Seitz from 1993-1994 ^[73]
• First African American female president-elect designate: Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes in 2024 ^[74]

Firsts in local history

• Stacy A. Scott: ^[75] First female Public Defender of the Eighth Judicial Circuit (2010) [ Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy and Union Counties, Florida]
• Susan C. Bucklew: ^{[76] [77]} First female appointed as a Judge of the Hillsborough County Superior Court (1982) and circuit court judge for the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Florida (1986)
• Alexcia Cox: ^[78] First African American female to serve as the Attorney General of the 15th Judicial Circuit, Florida (2025)
• Lorelie P. Brannan: ^[79] First female county court judge in Baker County, Florida (2022)
• Frances Ann Jamieson (1960): ^[80] First female lawyer in Brevard County, Florida
• Cathleen B. Clarke: ^[81] First African American (female) judge in Brevard County, Florida (1998)
• Angeline Weir (1960): ^[28] First female County Solicitor in Broward County, Florida. She was also the first female President of the Broward County Bar Association (1983-1984). ^[82]
• Mildred S. Akerman (1956): ^[28] First female elected judge in Broward County, Florida (1959)
• Elizabeth Athanasakos (1957): ^[28] First female municipal judge in Broward County, Florida (1964–1974)
• Barbara Bridge (1964): ^[28] First female judge of the County Court in Broward County, Florida (1972)
• Mary Rudd-Robinson: ^[83] First African American female judge in Broward County, Florida (1993)
• Florence Taylor Barner: ^[84] First Haitian American (female) judge in Broward County, Florida
• Natasha DePrimo: ^[85] First Asian American female judge in Broward County, Florida (2019)
• Alison Smith: ^[86] First Black female to serve as the President of the Broward County Bar Association (2021)
• Cynthia Everett: ^[87] First female (and African American) to serve as the City Attorney for Fort Lauderdale, Florida [Broward County, Florida]
• Pauline Drake: ^[88] First African American female to serve on the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court (1998) ^[89] [ Clay, Duval and Nassau Counties, Florida]
• Kristina Mobley: ^[90] First female county judge in Clay County, Florida (c. 2015)
• Hixon Holley: ^[91] First female judge in Collier County, Florida
• Maria Ruhl: ^[47] First Hispanic American female (and Hispanic American in general) appointed as a Judge of the Twelfth Judicial Circuit of Florida (2019) [ DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota Counties, Florida]
• Susan H. Black: ^[17] First female to serve on the Duval County Court in Florida (1973-1975)
• Bessie Bellinger: ^{[12] [13]} First female to act in a judicial position in Escambia County, Florida (1922)
• Kathy Garner: ^[30] First female (and African American) judge in Gadsden County, Florida (2009)
• Sheree H. Lancaster: ^[92] First female judge in Gilchrist County, Florida
• Annie Joe Law: ^{[69] [70]} First female to serve as the County Attorney in Hernando County, Florida (1928)
• Heidi Davis: ^[93] First female judge in Hernando County, Florida (2010). She is also the first female circuit court judge for Lake County, Florida. ^[94]
• Linda J. Treiman (1976): ^[95] First female lawyer in Brooksville, Florida [ Hernando County, Florida]
• Mae Wood (c. 1896): ^[96] First female lawyer in Hillsborough County, Florida
• Carolyn House Stewart: ^[97] First African American female to serve as the Assistant State Attorney of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit (1980) [ Hillsborough County, Florida]
• Arthenia Joyner (1969): ^[98] First African American female lawyer in Hillsborough County, Florida
• Josephine Howard Stafford: ^{[16] [99]} First female to serve on the Municipal Court of Tampa, Florida (1958) [Hillsborough County, Florida]
• Vivian Corvo: ^[55] First Hispanic American female circuit judge in Hillsborough County, Florida
• Marva Crenshaw: ^[55] First African American female circuit judge in Hillsborough County, Florida
• Julianne Holt: ^[97] First female Public Defender of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit [ Hillsborough County, Florida]
• Catherine McEwen: ^[55] First female appointed as a U.S. bankruptcy judge in Tampa, Florida [ Hillsborough County, Florida]
• Marsha Rydberg: ^[55] First female to serve as the President of the Hillsborough County Bar Association
• Susan Johnson Velez: ^[55] First African American female to serve as the President of Hillsborough County Bar Association (2013-2014)
• Gwynne Young: ^[55] First female to serve as the Assistant State Attorney in Hillsborough County, Florida
• Nicole Menz: ^[100] First female judge in Indian River County, Florida (2018)
• Judith Hawkins: ^[101] First African American (female) judge in Leon County, Florida
• Cassandra Jackson: ^[43] First African American female to serve as the City Attorney for Tallahassee, Florida [ Leon County, Florida]
• Barbara Linthicum and Nancy Daniels: ^{[72] [71]} First female Public Defenders respectively for Leon County, Florida
• Edith Atkinson: ^[14] First female judge in Dade County, Florida (1924)
• Gwen Cherry (1965): ^[102] First African American female lawyer in Dade County, Florida
• Mattie Belle Davis: ^{[14] [103]} First female to serve on the Metropolitan Court of Dade County (1959), Florida
• Janet Reno (1963): ^[65] First female to serve as a State's Attorney in Miami-Dade County, Florida (1978)
• Kathy Fernandez Rundle: ^[104] First Cuban American (female) to serve as a State Attorney in Miami-Dade County, Florida (1993)
• Dixie L. Herlong Chastain: ^[14] 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.
• Gill S. Freeman: ^[105] First (female) judge assigned to Miami's then-newly established business court (2007)
• Bertila Soto: ^[106] First Hispanic American/Cuban American (female) to serve as the Chief Judge of the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade County, Florida (2013)
• Abigail Price Williams (1985): ^[107] First female to serve as the County Attorney for Miami-Dade County, Florida (2015)
• Lody Jean: ^[50] First Haitian American (female) to serve on the Miami-Dade County Court (2020)
• Suzanne Bass: ^[108] First female judge in Nassau County, Florida
• Mary Sandefur Schulman (1943): ^[109] First female lawyer in Okeechobee County, Florida
• Aramis Ayala: ^[110] First African American (female) to serve as the State's Attorney of Orange County, Florida (2019)
• LaShawnda K. Jackson: ^[111] First Black (female) President of the Orange County Bar Association (2021)
• Gabrielle Sanders: ^[112] First African American female (and African American in general) judge in Osceola County, Florida (2019)
• Anne E'del Deacon: ^[14] First female municipal judge in Palm Beach, Florida and fifth female judge in Florida [ Palm Beach County, Florida]
• Catherine Brunson: ^[113] First African American female lawyer to work for the Palm Beach County Attorney’s Office (1977), set up a law practice (1984), and to serve on the Circuit Court in Palm Beach County (1994)
• Nancy Perez: ^[114] First Hispanic American (female) judge in Palm Beach County, Florida (1991)
• Sheree Davis Cunningham: ^[115] First African American female judge in Palm Beach County, Florida
• Rosalyn Sia Baker-Barnes: ^[116] First African American female to serve as President of the Palm County Bar Association, Florida (2017)
• Meenu Sasser: ^[117] First Asian American (female) judge in Palm Beach County, Florida
• Danielle Sherriff: ^[118] First Haitian American (female) judge in Palm Beach County, Florida (2023)
• Debra Roberts: ^[119] First African American (female) judge in Pasco County, Florida (2002)
• Elizabeth Martin Leeman: ^[120] First female lawyer to join the faculty of Stetson University School of Law (1970) [ Pinellas County, Florida]
• Luz Nagle: ^[55] First tenured Hispanic American (female) law professor at Stetson University College of Law (2004) [ Pinellas County, Florida]
• C. Bette Wimbish (1968): ^[121] First African American female lawyer in Pinellas County, Florida
• Catherine Harlan: ^[122] First female county judge in Pinellas County, Florida
• Miriam Irizarry: ^[55] First Hispanic American female county court judge in Pinellas County, Florida
• Elizabeth Kovachevich: ^[55] First female elected as a circuit judge in Pinellas County, Florida
• Michèle Alexandre: ^[123] First African American (female) to serve as the Dean of Stetson University College of Law (2019)
• Arthenia Joyner: ^[124] First African American (female) lawyer in Polk County, Florida
• Karla Foreman Wright: ^[30] First African American female judge in Polk County, Florida (2000)
• Mada Fraser Babcock McLendon: ^[14] First female municipal judge in Lake Wales, Florida and third female judge in Florida [ Polk County, Florida]
• Mary Kennerly Buckles: ^[14] First female judge in Putnam County, Florida and second female judge in Florida
• Alicia Washington: ^[51] First African American (female) judge to serve in Putnam County, Florida (2020)
• Donna Goerner: ^[125] First African American female judge in Seminole County, Florida (2020)
• Peggy Elizabeth Ready: ^[126] First female judge in St. Johns County, Florida as well as the county's first female assistant public defender
• Joan Anthony: ^[51] First African American female to preside over a family court in St. Johns County, Florida (2021)
• Elsie O'Laughlin (1948): ^[127] First female lawyer and judge in St. Lucie County, Florida
• Pamela Fort: ^[128] First African American female lawyer in Fort Pierce, Florida [St. Lucie County, Florida]
• Renee Roche: ^[129] First female Business Court judge appointed in the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Orlando, Florida (2004)
• Gill S. Freeman: ^[130] First female Complex Business Litigation Division judge appointed in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade, Florida (2006)
• Lisa S. Walsh: ^[131] First female International Commercial Arbitration Court judge appointed in the Eleventh Judicial Circuit in Miami-Dade, Florida (2017)

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 Florida

References

1. "2005 Inductees". www.stetson.edu. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
2. "Celebrating Florida's first 150 women lawyers". www.floridabar.org. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
3. Atencio, Dolores S. (2023). "Luminarias: An Empirical Portrait of the First Generation of Latina Lawyers 1880-1980". Chicana/o Latina/o Law Review. 39 (1). doi:10.5070/cllr.v39i1.61869. ISSN   1061-8899.
4. The Florida Women's Bar Association mistakenly identified Marian Borros (1926) as the first Hispanic female lawyer in the state. It was determined by Atencio (2023) that Borros was actually of Danish-Swedish descent.
5. Angela (2018-01-04). "On Being the First: An Interview With Bernice Gaines". BlackHer.us. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
6. "Reno honors Florida's first women lawyers". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
7. "Pettis sworn in as president". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
8. "Law Offices of Zubaida Iqbal". Bangladesh Circle. Retrieved 2022-03-10.
9. "Primera abogada dominicana abre oficina en Miami - Periódico elCaribe". www.elcaribe.com.do (in Spanish). August 8, 2015. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
10. "Woman with autism admitted to Florida Bar, becoming "first openly-autistic lawyer," employer says". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
11. "She may be Florida's first lawyer with autism. And she's out to change lives and minds". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
12. Women Lawyers' Journal. Women Lawyers' Club. 1919.
13. Humanities, National Endowment for the (1922-02-25). "The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, February 25, 1922, Image 1". The Pensacola Journal. ISSN   1941-109X . Retrieved 2019-02-27.
14. "Celebrating Florida's first 150 women lawyers". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
15. Upon Atkinson's appointment as a Judge of the Juvenile Court of Dade County
16. Loquasto, Wendy (Spring 2004). "FAWL CHRONICLES: GENDER BIAS IN THE JUDICIAL SELECTION PROCESS THEN AND NOW" (PDF). FAWL Journal.
17. "The history of The Jacksonville Bar Association | Jax Daily Record". Financial News & Daily Record - Jacksonville, Florida. 2003-03-03. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
18. "Timeline of the life of Reubin Askew, 37th governor of Florida". Tampa Bay Times. 2014-03-13. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
19. Upon Booth's appointment to the First District Court of Appeal in Florida
20. Writer, MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press. "First business court in Florida opens in Orlando". The Star Banner. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
21. "Miami community activist Robert Simms dies at 87 in Alabama". miamiherald. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
22. Dillard, Kalinthia R. (February 2014). "African-American Women and the Judiciary: Past, Present, and Future" (PDF). Bulletin (Palm Beach County Bar Association).
23. Upon Simms appointment as a Judge of the Dade County Superior Court in 1981
24. "The Honorable Margarita Esquiroz Dies at 67". NBC 6 South Florida. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
25. "Miami Law Mourns Passing of Judge Margarita Esquiroz, JD '74 | University of Miami School of Law". www.law.miami.edu. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
26. Upon Esquiroz's appointment as a circuit judge in Dade County in 1984
27. Dennis, Yvonne Wakim; Addasi, Maha (2013). A Kid's Guide to Arab American History: More Than 50 Activities. Chicago Review Press. ISBN   9781613740170.
28. "Broward County Attorneys". BCBA. Retrieved 2018-01-04.
29. Gunther also served as a Judge of the Circuit Court (1981–1986) and Judge of the County Court (1973–1981).
30. "Florida Black History Facts – Commissioner of Education's African American History Task Force" . Retrieved 2020-03-06.
31. "Justices of the Florida Supreme Court - Justice Quince". www.floridasupremecourt.org. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
32. Martin, Mart (1999-04-08). The Almanac Of Women And Minorities In American Politics. Avalon Publishing. ISBN   978-0-8133-6870-2.
33. "Former state Supreme Court justice: Despite outrage over Hamas attack, honor the First Amendment". WUSF. 2023-10-22. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
34. "District Court of Appeals Website - Judge Carole Y. Taylor". www.4dca.org. Retrieved 2018-01-05.
35. Yeager, Ken (1999). Trailblazers : profiles of America's gay and lesbian elected officials. Internet Archive. New York : Haworth Press. ISBN   978-0-7890-0299-0.
36. Ledger, JASON GEARY The. "COVINGTON BECOMES A FEDERAL JUDGE; RESIGNS STATE BENCH". The Ledger. Retrieved 2018-01-19.
37. "Colombian American Bar to honor Avalos". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
38. Staff, Digital (2019-01-09). "First Hispanic woman appointed to Florida Supreme Court". WEAR. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
39. "LEON COUNTY JUDGE NINA ASHENAFI-RICHARDSON TO RECEIVE DISTINGUISHED JUDICIAL SERVICE PRO BONO AWARD – The Florida Bar" . Retrieved 2022-03-12.
40. "Nina Ashenafi Richardson". Florida Commission on the Status of Women. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
41. Etters, Karl. "Appellate Judge Nikki Clark resigning". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
42. "Judge Gonzalez-Whyte Set Sights on Law at Young Age". Daily Business Review. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
43. "Church honors Tallahassee's black history pioneers in law and medicine". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
44. "Judicial Spotlight | Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida". ninthcircuit.org. Retrieved 2023-06-15.
45. "Bertila Soto '86 named Chief Judge of Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida". FIU News. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
46. "Homenaje a Gisela Laurent primera jueza dominicana en tribunal de Florida". La Prensa Florida (in Spanish). 2021-09-28. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
47. Anderson, Zac. "Maria Ruhl, region's first Hispanic judge, sworn in". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
48. "Election of the new Chief Judge in the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court - Sarasota County Bar Association". www.sarasotabar.com. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
49. McLeod, Sheri-Kae (2020-05-27). "Jamaican-born Renatha Francis Becomes the First Caribbean-American Appointed to Florida Supreme Court". Caribbean News. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
50. Torres, Andrea (2020-04-17). "DeSantis appoints Haitian-American woman to Eleventh Judicial Circuit". WPLG. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
51. "Flagler's 'Victory Lap' as Circuit's 1st Black Women Judges Are Celebrated, With Pointed Sidebars". FlaglerLive. 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
52. "Nunez-Navarro appointed to Ninth Judicial Circuit court". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2022-05-04.
53. "Judge Melissa C. Black - Professional Background & Legal Expertise | Trellis.Law". trellis.law. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
54. Upon Black's appointment as a Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
55. "Tampa legal community celebrates its 'Hidden Figures' at luncheon". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2022-03-05.
56. "BEST LOCAL GIRL MADE GOOD: Cecilia Altonaga | Best of Miami® 2003: Your Key to the City". Miami New Times. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
57. "USATODAY.com - First black woman federal judge in Florida sworn in". USA Today .
58. "Interview with the Honorable Corali Lopez-Castro, J.D. '90 – Florida's First Hispanic Bankruptcy Judge". news.miami.edu. August 22, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
59. "Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi under consideration to replace Sessions" . Retrieved 2018-11-08.
60. "2012 Inductees - Rebecca Bowles Hawkins". Levin College of Law. Retrieved 2018-12-13.
61. Whigham II, Julius; Pacenti, John. "State Attorney Dave Aronberg won't seek U.S. attorney post for South Florida". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
62. "Fajardo confirmed as first woman nominee to head U.S. Attorney office in South Florida". miamiherald. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
63. "Ser la primera mujer fiscal federal para el sur de la Florida es algo increíble para mí". diariolasamericas.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2018-10-01.
64. Weaver, Jay. "Miami-Dade judge confirmed as first woman to head U.S. Attorney's office in South Florida". Sun-Sentinel.com. Retrieved 2018-10-01.
65. "How Janet Reno handled and bounced back from the biggest cases in her life". miamiherald. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
66. "Meet the State Attorney". Office of Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. Retrieved 2024-05-21.
67. "Black Florida state attorney Aramis Ayala pulled over in traffic stop, prompting outrage". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-12-18.
68. Powers, Scott (9 November 2016). "Aramis Ayala becomes first black state attorney in Florida's history" . Retrieved 2018-12-18.
69. "Celebrate Women Leading the Way | Hernando Sun". www.hernandosun.com. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
70. "Book honors "the women everyone else forgot to talk about." | Hernando Sun". www.hernandosun.com. Retrieved 2020-02-27.
71. "Thomas will succeed Daniels as public defender". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
72. "Nancy Daniels has been a dedicated public servant". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
73. "Florida Commission on the Status of Women | Patricia Ann Seitz" . Retrieved 2019-01-02.
74. "West Palm Beach attorney to become Florida Bar's first Black female president". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
75. "Office of the Public Defender 8th Judicial Circuit". publicdefender.alachuacounty.us. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
76. Hcba (2015-03-15). "LAWYER MAGAZINE Online Edition: Special Feature: An Interview with the Hon. Susan C. Bucklew". LAWYER MAGAZINE Online Edition. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
77. "2007 Inductees". www.stetson.edu. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
78. Harrell, Gershon (2025-01-07). "Alexcia Cox, first Black woman state attorney in 15th Judicial Circuit, gets sworn in". WPEC. Retrieved 2025-01-08.
79. "THE INVESTITUTE OF LORELIE P. BRANNAN TO THE BAKER COUNTY COURT BENCH". The Eighth Judicial Circuit of Florida. Retrieved 2022-10-28.
80. "1st Female Elected Judge Gets Honor". tribunedigital-orlandosentinel. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
81. "Clarice appointment good step toward equality in judiciary". Florida Today. May 29, 1998. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
82. "Past Presidents". BCBA. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
83. "Judge Mary Rudd-Robinson steps down from the bench after 27 years of dedicated service". thewestsidegazette.com. Retrieved 2020-06-02.
84. Rosa, Braulio (2022-02-02). "Judge Florence Taylor Barner Interview Black History 2022". BCBA. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
85. "APABA of South Florida Congratulates Natasha DePrimo's Appointment and Investiture to the Seventeenth Judicial Circuit's County Court". APABA of South Florida. 2019-07-11. Retrieved 2024-02-24.
86. McLeod, Sheri-Kae (2021-07-29). "Jamaican-American Lawyer is First Black Female President of Broward County Bar Association". Caribbean News. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
87. "MEMORANDUM (RE: City Attorney Search Update: Recommended Candidates)". City of Vero Beach. April 12, 2019.
88. "The Marbut Report: Judge Pauline Drake retires | Jax Daily Record". Jacksonville Daily Record - Jacksonville, Florida. 2020-03-04. Retrieved 2020-03-15.
89. Upon Drake's appointment to the Duval County Court in 1998
90. Mitchell, Tia. "Tia Mitchell: What lobbyist Joe Mobley and his new family taught me about covering politics". The Florida Times. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
91. "Women in The Florida Bar". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
92. "First female Gilchrist County judge sworn in Friday". WUFT News. Retrieved 2018-01-06.
93. "GROUNDBREAKING NEW JUDGE". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
94. "Three sets of Circuit Court judicial candidates on the August ballot". Ocala Gazette. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
95. Landers, Roger (April 30, 2007). "From early days, lawyers have led". www.sptimes.com. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
96. Hawes, Leland (August 4, 1996). "Light shed on Tampa's "legal lights'". Tampa Tribune. p. 8. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
97. "HAWL celebrates women pioneers". The Florida Bar. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
98. "Arthenia Joyner to be first inductee of FAMU Law Hall of Fame - Florida Politics". floridapolitics.com. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 2017-09-18.
99. dp9q (2017-03-15). "City of Tampa to Celebrate Women's History Month". City of Tampa. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
100. "Election results: Nicole Menz wins Indian River County judge seat". TCPalm. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
101. "City's Black history firsts honored at awards dinner – Capital Outlook" . Retrieved 2020-03-05.
102. "Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association - Our History". gscbwla.org. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
103. The Florida Handbook 2007-2008. Peninsular Publishing. 2007-08-01. ISBN   9780976584612.
104. "EXCERPT FROM CUBANS: AN EPIC JOURNEY, THE STRUGGLE OF EXILES FOR TRUTH AND FREEDOM LAWYERS AND JUDGES" (PDF). CABA. Summer 2013.
105. "Complex Business Litigation". www.jud11.flcourts.org. Retrieved 2024-08-12.
106. "She made history as the first female first Hispanic Chief Judge". 2021-10-13. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
107. "Miami-Dade County's first Black attorney retires; Monestime holds annual Black history luncheon; Florida Law Review elects first Black woman and more". The Miami Times. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
108. "Circuit Court Judge Suzanne Bass – Nassau County's first woman judge". 2014-04-18. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
109. Williamson, Betty Chandler (Spring 2015). "Looking Back: First Ladies of Okeechobee" (PDF). Okeechobee: The Magazine: 46–47.
110. Mangino, Matthew T. "Matthew T. Mangino: Prosecutors struggle with criminal justice reform". Burlington County Times. Retrieved 2020-03-12.
111. "Meet LaShawnda K. Jackson, First Black President of the Orange County Bar Association - Orlando Women Magazine". orlandowomenmag.com. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
112. FOX. "First black judge of Osceola County sworn in". WOFL. Retrieved 2019-03-04.
113. "F. Malcolm Cunningham, Sr. Bar Association - Reception Honoring Retired Judge Catherine Brunson". cunninghambar.org. Retrieved 2020-03-05.
114. "The History of Florida Tabloid by Historical Society of Palm Beach County - Issuu". issuu.com. 2019-11-04. Retrieved 2024-12-24.
115. "Black female attorneys in Palm Beach County raising the bar, making history". WPTV. 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
116. Lolo, Sabrina (2017-08-30). "Palm Beach County Bar Association elects first African American female president". WPEC. Retrieved 2019-01-02.
117. Weibezahn, Laurel. "Palm Beach County's first Asian-American judge dies of cancer". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
118. "Reid Scott, Danielle Sherriff appointed to fill Palm Beach County judicial vacancies". WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm. 2023-05-17. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
119. "The Honorable Judge Debra Roberts". Sanford Herald. 2023-11-28. Retrieved 2024-06-05.
120. Stone-Harris, Regina (October 2019). "The Remarkable First 50 Women Law Graduates of St. Mary's University: Part One". St. Mary's Law Journal. 50 (3): 951.
121. "St. Pete hwy to be renamed after 1st black female lawyer in Pinellas" . Retrieved 2017-09-18.
122. "The Last Word | Business Observer". Business Observer. 2005-03-04. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
123. CLENDENING, ROGER K. "Florida's elder law school hires first Black dean after 119 years". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved 2022-03-15.
124. "'You don't look like a lawyer!': 6 ways to navigate professional and corporate spaces". ABA Journal. Retrieved 2022-02-05.
125. Cutway, Adrienne (2021-02-18). "Meet the panelists for the Real Talk: Obstacles and Opportunities town hall". WKMG. Retrieved 2022-01-24.
126. Pope, Margo C. "County's 1st female judge dies at age 77". The St. Augustine Record. Retrieved 2021-02-26.
127. "O'Laughlin, first female judge, attorney in St. Lucie County, dies in Georgia at 86" . Retrieved 2018-02-12.
128. Davis, Marianna W. (1982). Contributions of Black Women to America: The arts, media, business, law, sports. Kenday Press.
129. Writer, MIKE SCHNEIDER Associated Press. "First business court in Florida opens in Orlando". The Star Banner. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
130. "All Business". Florida Trend. Retrieved 2024-07-26.
131. "International Commercial Arbitration, Eleventh Judicial Circuit of Florida". www.jud11.flcourts.org. Retrieved 2024-07-25.