2003 Coleman Intern Completes Women and the Law Project 2003 Coleman Intern Allyson Miller Completed Her Sion, but Also to the Daily Lives of the People

2003 Coleman Intern Completes Women and the Law Project 2003 Coleman Intern Allyson Miller Completed Her Sion, but Also to the Daily Lives of the People

Fall 2003 2003 Coleman Intern Completes Women and the Law Project 2003 Coleman Intern Allyson Miller completed her sion, but also to the daily lives of the people. While there term with the Society in August. Over the course of the are undoubtedly countless influential women in our past summer, she worked on several projects, including the and present, the list was simply meant to highlight a few of Women and the Law project. The result of her hard work the most renowned. The descriptions that accompany is a series of pages on our website that include the each name were not intended to provide a detailed biograhies of 19 Michigan women. In addition, Allyson overview of the entire life of the individual, but rather to created a PowerPoint presentation that can be used by concentrate on their most publicly recognized or person- teachers and lecturers and is available by contacting ally important accomplishments to date and the impact of Angela Bergman at 517-373-7589. those achievements on other women in the legal profession While the list may not and in the general popula- be comprehensive, it tion of Michigan. The focuses on women who project was meant to serve stand out as champions of as a basic introduction to Michigan women, were the many women who have trendsetters in the law, changed the Michigan legal were “firsts” in their field, system to better reflect the and are role models for values of all it represents. aspiring young women. The web pages, which The purpose of the can be viewed by going to Women and the Law www.micourthistory.org and project was to acknowl- clicking on the Resources edge the contributions of menu, include pictures of women in Michigan, not The “front page” of the Women and the Law portion of the featured women where the website. only to the legal profes- available. in this issue 2003 Coleman Intern Completes Women and the Law Project.........................................1-3 Opening Session Society Members Earn State Bar Honors...4-5 9:30 a.m. October 14 Michigan Justices as Authors..........................6 Old Supreme Court Chambers In the Spotlight..................................................7 michigan supreme court historical society The women featured are: Recorder’s Court, made the argument that successfully added the word “sex” to the Civil Rights Act, the first Sarah Killgore Wertman: The first woman law woman member of the House Means and Ways Commit- student and graduate of the University of Michigan and the tee, and the first woman lieutenant governor of Michigan. first woman to be admitted to the State Bar of Michigan, or to the Bar of any state for that matter. Jean Ledwith King: Played an active role in founding and establishing FOCUS on Equal Employment for Octavia Bates: Chair of the Committee on Domestic Women, which filed a complaint against the University of Relations of the National Council of Women and the Michigan for sex discrimination in a variety of arenas. The National Federation of Women’s Clubs delegate to suit led to the first comprehensive investigation of a major the1899 London International Council of Women, university by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, where she delivered a paper entitled “The Study of Law and Labor for sexual discrimination and resulted in perma- for Women”. nent changes to the programs and policies at the University of Michigan. She drafted a complaint because of the sex Martha Strickland: The first woman to argue a case discrimination in the Houghton-Mifflin textbooks used in before the Michigan Supreme Court in 1890. She suc- the Kalamazoo Public Schools, causing the immediate cessfully argued the right of women to hold the office of issue of a 100-page supplement and the revision of the deputy county clerk in Michigan, making women eligible to comapany’s textbooks. secure valuable employment positions in local government. Virginia Cecile Blomer Nordby: Was the principal Emelia Schaub: The first woman in the State of drafter of the Michigan Criminal Sexual Conduct Act, Michigan to win a murder case, the first woman prosecu- Public Act 266, in 1974, which revolutionized perceptions tor in Michigan, and a champion of the Ottawa and and interpretations of rape and has since served as a Chippewa Indian Tribes. model for nearly thirty other states. She taught a pioneer- ing class at the University of Michigan called Women and Anne R. Davidow: Made history in 1948 when she the Law. appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court to argue the case of Goesaert v. Cleary, becoming the first to make Anna Diggs Taylor: Became the first black woman the argument that sex discrimination violated women’s judge to be appointed to the United States District Court constitutional rights by denying them equal protection and treat- ment under the law. She lost the case before the Court, but con- vinced the Michigan Legislature to repeal the discriminatory law. Jessie Pharr Slaton: Became one of the first African-Americans in Detroit City government to hold a white-collar job, was the first woman referee in the Recorder’s Court Traffic and Ordinance Division, and was appointed by Governor Milliken to the office of Common Pleas Judge in the City of Detroit. Martha W. Griffiths: The first woman judge of Detroit’s The “index page” of the project features the pictures of 19 Michigan women. www.micourthistory.org Page 2 Society update Fall 2003 for the Eastern District of Michigan and became the first Maura D. Corrigan: The first woman to be elected black woman Chief Judge for that district. student bar president at the University of Detroit Law School, the first woman to hold the position of the Chief Julia Darlow: Became the first woman president of Assistant U.S. Attorney in Detroit, the first woman to the State Bar of Michigan. Joyce Dixson: Was responsible for improving the educational opportunities for women in Michigan prisons and became the first woman to earn a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan while in prison. Mary S. Coleman: Became the first woman justice and Chief Justice on the Michigan Supreme Court and the third woman in the nation to sit on a State Supreme Court. She served as the impetus for revamping the organization of the Michigan judicial system’s finances and in By clicking on a name and picture on the index page, you 1980 called for a state constitutional can read about that individual’s accomplishments amendment to add gender to the catego- as they relate to Michigan law. ries protected against discrimination. Dorothy Comstock Riley: Became the first woman serve as the Chief Judge of the Michigan Court of Ap- to be appointed to the Michigan Court of Appeals, was peals. She was elected to the Michigan Supreme Court appointed to and then elected to the Michigan Supreme and became Chief Justice in 2002. She has helped the Court, and was later elected by her colleagues to become Michigan child support enforcement system comply with Chief Justice. federal regulations. Patricia J. Boyle: Contributed her talents to the Jennifer Mulhern Granholm: Became the first drafting of the Criminal Sexual Conduct Act of 1974 woman to be elected as attorney general of the state of and later gave up her tenured federal judge position in Michigan and four years later was elected as the state’s 1983 in order to accept an appointment to the Michigan first woman governor. Supreme Court. Elizabeth Weaver: Received national recognition for Information for the Women and the Law project her fair but firm treatment of juvenile delinquents as a was written and compiled by 2003 Coleman Intern Probate Judge, served as chair of Governor John Engler’s Allyson Miller. Task Force on Children’s Justice, and was elected Justice and then Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court. The Coleman Internship was established in 1998 in honor of former Chief Justice Mary Coleman’s Marilyn Kelly: Was the first woman to be elected to husband, the late Judge Creighton S. Coleman. The and made President of the State Board of Education, Coleman internship is awarded to undergraduate became the 99th Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court in honors students interested in gaining real-world 1997, and serves as co-chair of the Open Justice Com- experience while performing historical research mission, an organization of the State Bar of Michigan for the Society. committed to making justice available to all. Page 3 www.micourthistory.org michigan supreme court historical society Society Members Earn State Bar Honors On September 12, 2003, at the Annual Meeting of the the Gerald R. Ford Foundation, the American Bar Asso- State Bar of Michigan, four Historical Society members ciation, the Grand Traverse-Leelanu-Antrim Bar Associa- were honored with prestigious State Bar awards. tion, and the American Judicature Society. Frank J. Kelley Distinguished Public Servant Michael Franck Award Winners Award Justice Marilyn Kelly of the Michigan Supreme Court and Detroit lawyer and former State Bar president Justice Robert P. Griffin Wallace D. Riley were named this year’s State Bar of Robert P. Griffin was named the recipient of the 2003 Michigan Michael Franck Award winners. The State Bar State Bar of Michigan Frank J. Kelley Distinguished Representative Assembly presents the award annually to a Public Servant Award. The award was created in 1998 by lawyer in good standing who has made an outstanding the State Bar Board of Commissioners to recognize a contribution to the improvement of the profession. Michigan attorney in elected or appointed office for extraordinary governmental service. Justice Marilyn Kelly During his extensive career, which spanned five de- Justice Marilyn Kelly was elected in 1996 to the cades, Griffin served for 22 years in the U.S.

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