Courts

Nine Wins Out Of Ten At The Supreme Court, Before Heading To The Federal Judiciary

Few advocates ever posted a record like hers. Fewer became judges.

Ed. Note: Welcome to our daily feature Trivia Question of the Day!

Who was the first Black woman ever to serve as a federal judge? She argued 10 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and won nine of them — a record most advocates would kill for — while helping dismantle segregation across the American South.

Hint: Her career was a series of firsts: first Black woman in the New York State Senate, first woman to serve as Manhattan borough president, and, when LBJ appointed her to the Southern District of New York in 1966, the first Black woman on the federal bench.
See the answer on the next page.

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