A Historical Moment.... On this day, January 8, 2007 Jane Matilda Bolin, the first African American woman to serve as a judge in the United States, died. Bolin was born April 11, 1908 in Poughkeepsie, New York. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Wellesley College in 1928 and became the first Black woman to graduate from Yale Law School in 1931 when she earned her Bachelor of Laws degree. Bolin passed the New York state bar exam in 1932 and was in private practice until 1937. From 1937 to 1939, Bolin served as assistant corporation counsel in the New York City legal department. On July 22, 1939, Bolin was appointed a Judge of the Domestic Relations Court, a position that she held until retirement in 1979. During her tenure, she worked to encourage racially integrated child services, assignment of probation officers without regard to race or religion, and acceptance of children at publicly funded childcare agencies without regard to ethnic background. After retiring from the bench, Bolin served on the New York State Board of Regents. She received honorary doctorate degrees from Tuskegee Institute, Williams College, Hampton University, Western College for Women, and Morgan State University.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 15:42:49 +0000
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