Her Honor: Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges

by Lauren Stiller Rikleen (Editor)

Overview

Her Honor – Stories of Challenge and Triumph from Women Judges

Edited by Lauren Stiller Rikleen

 

At a time when surveys reveal declining trust in our courts, this book offers reasons for hope and even pride. Her Honor features a collection of personal stories by and about some of the country’s most respected female judges. Each chapter author openly shares nuanced stories of challenges and successes, including the inequality, bias, and other barriers they faced and overcame in their lives.

 

The 25 judges featured in Her Honor are from all levels of the state and federal courts, including Chief Judges and two Supreme Court Justices. Their moving stories will be all too recognizable by women who may currently be experiencing similar challenges and biases in their own career. 

 

Her Honor also demonstrates how the best of our judges share a passion for ensuring an accessible and fair system of justice, without a political agenda. They reveal a deep compassion for humanity along with an abiding respect for the law, respecting precedent but acting with courage if the law offers a way forward.

All the judges in this book have lived lives of deep influence. The stories shared will extend that influence further and inspire future generations to persevere in their careers during even the most difficult times. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781639052400
Publisher:	American Bar Association
Publication date:	03/01/2023
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Lauren Stiller Rikleen, president of the Rikleen Institute for Strategic Leadership, is a nationally known speaker, trainer, author, and consultant focused on building a diverse, respectful, and inclusive workplace culture. She is also a board member and interim executive director of Lawyers Defending American Democracy, an organization devoted to the protection of democracy and the rule of law.

 

Lauren is a former law firm equity partner and founder of the firm’s environmental law practice. For 20 years, she was recognized in Best Lawyers in America; she was also recognized in Chambers USA America’s Leading Business Lawyers and in Massachusetts Super Lawyers.

 

Lauren’s extensive background of community and professional leadership includes serving as a former president of the Boston Bar Association and a former trustee of Clark University. Within the American Bar Association, she co-chairs the ABA Women’s Caucus and is a member of the Standing Committee on Publishing Oversight. Among her many past ABA leadership roles, Lauren is a former member of the Board of Governors, the Commission on Women in the Profession, and the ABA Journal Board of Editors. She is also a former chair of the Section of Civil Rights & Social Justice.

 

Lauren is the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award presented by the Commission on Women in the Profession, the Lelia J. Robinson Award from the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts, and the Boston College Alumni Award for Excellence in Law. She was also named by Public Media’s Next Avenue as one of the 50 Most Influential People in Aging.  

 

The author of more than 200 articles, including topical commentary and op-ed pieces, Lauren has written for or been interviewed by such publications and media outlets as: Fortune.com; the Harvard Business Review; BBC; Public Media’s Next Avenue; The Washington Post; The Boston Globe; The New York Times; MSNBC; National Public Radio; The American Lawyer; The National Law Journal; and Law 360. 

 

Lauren’s previous books are:

 

• The Shield of Silence: How Power Perpetuates a Culture of Harassment and Bullying in the Workplace
• You Raised Us, Now Work With Us: Millennials, Career Success, and Building Strong Workplace Teams
• Ladder Down: Success Strategies For Lawyers From Women Who Will Be Hiring, Reviewing, And Promoting You 
• Ending the Gauntlet: Removing Barriers to Women’s Success in the Law

She currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Table of Contents

Foreword xi Dahlia Lithwick About the Editor xv Introduction xvii Lauren Stiller Rikleen, Editor Chapter 1 Marci A. Hamilton: The Independence, Strength, and Professionalism of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor 1 Chapter 2 Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and S. Diane Rynerson: The Life and Highly Interesting Times of Betty Roberts: The First Woman to Serve on Oregon’s Appellate Courts 13 Chapter 3 Drucilla Stender Ramey: The Honorable Joan Dempsey Klein: A Relentless Quest for Gender Equality 27 Chapter 4 Harriet Lansing: Rosalie Erwin Wahl: Tested by Tragedy, Fueled by Idealism, Accomplished Beyond Measure 37 Chapter 5 Marcia D. Greenberger and Sarah E. Wald: Patricia McGowan Wald: Role Model for Doing the Right Thing 57 Chapter 6 Esther Moellering Tomljanovich: He Sensed a Story and Cancelled the Party 73 Chapter 7 Ruth Cooper Burg: Confronting Challenges 85 Chapter 8 Consuelo Bland Marshall: We Couldn’t Say “No” to Vaino 101 Chapter 9 Irma S. Raker: Challenging the Status Quo 109 Chapter 10 Rosemary Barkett: Living the Life of the Moment 117 Chapter 11 Mary M. Schroeder: VAWA and the Art of Listening 129 Chapter 12 Beverly McLachlin: Dealing with Criticism 137 Chapter 13 Judith McConnell: Never Remain Silent in the Face of Injustice 147 Chapter 14 Marsha S. Berzon: Women Workers/Women Lawyers: Three Foremothers 155 Chapter 15 Nancy Gertner: A Judge’s Journey 167 Chapter 16 Peggy Quince: Angels, Mentors, and Friends 175 Chapter 17 Fernande R. V. Duffly: I Had Never Considered This Step 195 Chapter 18 M. Margaret McKeown: The Joy of Serendipity and Risk 203 Chapter 19 Ann Claire Williams: Lessons from a Blessed Journey 213 Chapter 20 Bernice B. Donald: The Spark of Manifest Injustice 227 Chapter 21 Linda Strite Murnane: The Battlefield While on the Battlefield 245 Chapter 22 Angela M. Bradstreet: Do Not Let Fear Win Over Change 261 Chapter 23 Tani Cantil-Sakauye: Overlooked, Underestimated, and Interrupted 273 Chapter 24 Anna Blackburne-Rigsby: Moving Forward and Facing Back 281 Chapter 25 Deborah Jones Merritt: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: “A Richer System of Justice” 291 Acknowledgments 307

Editorial Reviews

This is one of the most inspirational books I have ever read. The essays, by and about twenty-five inspirational women judges, are beautifully written and compelling accounts of lives filled with amazing accomplishments. They are stories of women who overcame great obstacles—sexism and racism and antisemitism and homophobia and poverty and so much else—to rise to the top of the legal profession and make a huge difference. I want all law students and lawyers to read it, and for that matter, all high school and college students who might be thinking of a career in the law.

— Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley School of Law

I wish I had a book like this—full of the wisdom and testimony, trials, and triumphs of brilliant and accomplished women jurists—when I was a young law student who still didn’t fully understand the barriers I’d face as a young, Black woman in the legal profession and beyond. Their stories of grace and tenacity in the face of obstacles are beyond inspiring. And their focus on mentorship is so important. Their lived stories shake the ground and pave the way for all of us.

— Kimberly Atkins Stohr, Senior Opinion Writer and Columnist, The Boston Globe; inaugural columnist, The Emancipator

When women commit, we are all better for it. And the commitment of women in the legal arena, especially on the bench, is essential. This book shares the challenging, compelling and very human stories of some of the country’s most respected female judges and leaves us not just with a sense of the importance of their work but also of the importance of ensuring another generation of women follows in their footsteps. I loved learning more about these women and could have kept on reading more!

— Joyce White Vance, Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Law, University of Alabama School of Law and legal analyst for NBC and MSNBC

Her Honor is a breathtaking collection of the stories of pioneering women judges who made the nation’s courts look more like the nation they serve. Their stories are at once humbling for the obstacles they fought and inspiring for their determination and dedication to the rule of law.

— Steve Wermiel, American UniversityWashington College of Law, co-author, Justice Brennan: Liberal Champion

As someone who’s often critical about the progress of women in the legal profession, I found this book to be a much needed antidote to my cynicism. It’s an illuminating, honest look at how female judges overcame substantial obstacles with grit and grace—and triumphed.

— Vivia Chen, Opinion Columnist, “Unfiltered,” BLOOMBERG Law

Her Honor is a magnificent anthology of the professional and personal reflections of some of the country’s leading women jurists. The chapters in this volume bring to life the challenges, the pain, the joys, and the resiliency of female judges representing three generations of judicial icons. These stories will surely inspire not only the next cohort of women lawyers and judges, but anyone interested in promoting gender equality in the American legal profession and the United States more broadly.

— Ajay K. Mehrotra, Research Professor, American Bar Foundation; William G. and Virginia K. Karnes Research Professor, Northwestern UniversityPritzker School of Law

This remarkable volume of 25 essays practically oozes with perseverance and pride—with a dizzying array of our most accomplished women jurists recounting the stories of both familiar and less-well-known lawyers who were each, in their own rights, trailblazers. The stories are remarkable as much for what they have in common as for how they differ, and they provide page after page of inspiration not just to the next generation of aspiring trailblazers, but to those looking for reminders of how injustices in the legal system—and in the legal practice—are not necessarily a permanent feature. Indeed, the identities and resumes of the authors of these essays only proves the point.

— Stephen Vladeck, Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas School of Law; author, The Shadow Docket

Some of the judges profiled in this remarkable, and remarkably infuriating, volume are household names (Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg); others are women you've likely never heard of. Their stories are unique but also universal—tales of women who endured slights, barriers, and outright humiliation unimaginable to later generations of female attorneys, but who persevered with grit, humor, and intelligence. All helped shape the world women in the law face today—hardly perfect but dramatically changed—and this book offers fitting testimony to their contributions.

— Ruth Marcus, Washington Post columnist

From the Publisher

As someone who’s often critical about the progress of women in the legal profession, I found this book to be a much needed antidote to my cynicism. It’s an illuminating, honest look at how female judges overcame substantial obstacles with grit and grace—and triumphed.

Vivia Chen

This remarkable volume of 25 essays practically oozes with perseverance and pride—with a dizzying array of our most accomplished women jurists recounting the stories of both familiar and less-well-known lawyers who were each, in their own rights, trailblazers. The stories are remarkable as much for what they have in common as for how they differ, and they provide page after page of inspiration not just to the next generation of aspiring trailblazers, but to those looking for reminders of how injustices in the legal system—and in the legal practice—are not necessarily a permanent feature. Indeed, the identities and resumes of the authors of these essays only proves the point.

Stephen Vladeck

Some of the judges profiled in this remarkable, and remarkably infuriating, volume are household names (Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg); others are women you've likely never heard of.  Their stories are unique but also universal—tales of women who endured slights, barriers, and outright humiliation unimaginable to later generations of female attorneys, but who persevered with grit, humor, and intelligence. All helped shape the world women in the law face today—hardly perfect but dramatically changed—and this book offers fitting testimony to their contributions. 

Ruth Marcus

This is one of the most inspirational books I have ever read. The essays, by and about twenty-five inspirational women judges, are beautifully written and compelling accounts of lives filled with amazing accomplishments. They are stories of women who overcame great obstacles—sexism and racism and antisemitism and homophobia and poverty and so much else—to rise to the top of the legal profession and make a huge difference. I want all law students and lawyers to read it, and for that matter, all high school and college students who might be thinking of a career in the law.

Erwin Chemerinsky

When women commit, we are all better for it. And the commitment of women in the legal arena, especially on the bench, is essential. This book shares the challenging, compelling and very human stories of some of the country’s most respected female judges and leaves us not just with a sense of the importance of their work but also of the importance of ensuring another generation of women follows in their footsteps. I loved learning more about these women and could have kept on reading more!

Joyce White Vance

Her Honor is a breathtaking collection of the stories of pioneering women judges who made the nation’s courts look more like the nation they serve. Their stories are at once humbling for the obstacles they fought and inspiring for their determination and dedication to the rule of law.

Steve Wermiel

Her Honor is a magnificent anthology of the professional and personal reflections of some of the country’s leading women jurists. The chapters in this volume bring to life the challenges, the pain, the joys, and the resiliency of female judges representing three generations of judicial icons. These stories will surely inspire not only the next cohort of women lawyers and judges, but anyone interested in promoting gender equality in the American legal profession and the United States more broadly.

Ajay K. Mehrotra

I wish I had a book like this—full of the wisdom and testimony, trials, and triumphs of brilliant and accomplished women jurists—when I was a young law student who still didn’t fully understand the barriers I’d face as a young, Black woman in the legal profession and beyond. Their stories of grace and tenacity in the face of obstacles are beyond inspiring. And their focus on mentorship is so important. Their lived stories shake the ground and pave the way for all of us. 

Kimberly Atkins Stohr