Legal career
Blue was admitted to the bar in Arizona in 1967. [5] She entered private practice in 1974, specializing in publishing, art, copyright, human rights, and Native American law. [5] [6] [1] As a young lawyer and mother, she would bring her daughter to work with her every day and nurse her in the office. [7]
In 1967, Blue was one of the first attorneys to work at Dinébe’iiná Náhiiłna be Agha’diit’ahii (DNA), a legal aid program serving Navajo and Hopi people. [8] [1] [7] She took the job at DNA partly because it was difficult for her to find a position as a female attorney. [1] She was one of three women in her graduating class, and all were only offered jobs as law clerks. [7] During her time at the agency, she handled more than 6,000 cases and trained native peoples to serve as legal advocates in tribal courts. [1]
For seven years, Blue lived in Tuba City, Arizona, on Navajo lands. [5] She works frequently with Hualapai, Navajo, and Hopi peoples. [5] Ward and Blue is based in Flagstaff, Arizona but has a branch office in Tuba City. [5] [1] Blue also served as counsel to the Tuba City School Board. [6] She was the general counsel for the Havasupai tribe [2] [8] and helped the tribal counsel draft of the tribal law code. [6] The only way to reach the tribe, who lives at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, is to travel by foot, horseback, or helicopter. [5]
Blue lived for a time in Micronesia [9] but found it difficult to be taken seriously as a woman. [7] While there, she helped to establish a legal services program for Micronesian residents of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands in 1971. [1]
Blue has taught at various levels, [1] including courses at Northern Arizona University on Navajo ethnology. [5] She is frequently consultant on issues relating to Native American welfare. [6] She was recognized in 2000 by the Maricopa County Bar Association as one of 100 minority lawyers who had made a difference in Arizona. [9] Blue has served as chairman of the Arizona State Bar Association's Art Law Committee.
Personal life
Blue was born in Cincinnati, Ohio [1] to David and Martha Manning. [10] As a child her family moved to Cleveland. [1] When she was 11, they moved west, first to Colorado and then Arizona. [9] [1] The family arrived in Phoenix, and then settled in Prescott where she was graduated from high school. [1] [9] [7] As a child she wanted to be an African missionary when she grew up, and then a doctor, before settling on the law in high school. [1] Blue attended the University of Arizona for both her bachelor's degree and then for law school, completing the traditionally seven-year program in six. [1] [7] Blue earned a Juris Doctor in 1966. [1]
Blue founded and served as president of the Friends of the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site. [8] [1] She was also a trustee of the Museum of Northern Arizona and served on the board of Native Americans for Community Action. [8]
Blue has a sister, Marlene McGoffin, and a brother, Quentin Craft. [10] Blue was formerly married to Roy Ward, her law partner. [1] Together they have a daughter, Zoe. [1] She lives in Flagstaff, Arizona. [10]
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