who was the first female african american american attorney general

by Ms. Kathleen Koss 8 min read

Who was the first female attorney general of the United States?

Janet RenoOfficial portrait, c. 1990s78th United States Attorney GeneralIn office March 12, 1993 – January 20, 2001PresidentBill Clinton16 more rows

Who was the first African American to serve as Attorney General?

Eric Himpton Holder Jr. (born January 21, 1951) is an American lawyer who served as the 82nd Attorney General of the United States from 2009 to 2015. Holder, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama, was the first African American to hold the position of U.S. Attorney General.

What is Loretta Lynch doing today?

Lynch is a partner in the New York-based firm's Washington, D.C., office.Feb 16, 2022

Who is Loretta Lynch Where is she from?

Greensboro, North CarolinaLoretta LynchBornLoretta Elizabeth Lynch May 21, 1959 Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.Spouse(s)Stephen Hargrove ​ ( m. 2007)​EducationHarvard University (AB, JD)Signature20 more rows

Who was the Attorney General under Trump?

Jeff SessionsOfficial portrait, 201784th United States Attorney GeneralIn office February 9, 2017 – November 7, 2018PresidentDonald Trump33 more rows

Who are Eric Holder's parents?

Eric Himpton Holder, SrMiriam HolderEric H. Holder, Jr./Parents

Who does Loretta Lynch work for?

Loretta is currently representing the McDonald's Corporation in three high-profile racial discrimination lawsuits. She also counsels a number of prominent companies on ESG-related matters. Loretta is also frequently retained for high-profile public advisory roles. She was appointed as a Special Advisor to the N.Y.

Who is Eric Holder's wife?

Sharon MaloneEric H. Holder, Jr. / Wife (m. 1990)

Who is Loretta Lynch married to?

Stephen HargroveLoretta Lynch / Spouse (m. 2007)

What is Loretta Lynch known for?

Loretta Lynch, in full Loretta Elizabeth Lynch, (born May 21, 1959, Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S.), American lawyer who was the first African American woman to serve as U.S. attorney general (2015–17).

Who was the first African American woman to get a law degree?

Ada Kepley (1881): First woman to graduate with a law degree (1870) and practice in a court of law in the U.S. Charlotte E. Ray (1872): First African American female to earn a law degree in the U.S. Claudia L. Gordon (c. 2000): First deaf African American female to earn a law degree in the U.S.

Who was the first African American female attorney general?

Pamela Carter: First African American female to serve as an Attorney General in the U.S. and Indiana (1993) Kamala Harris (1989): First Asian American female (and Asian American overall) elected as an Attorney General in the U.S. and California (2011-2017).

Where was Charlotte Ray born?

Charlotte E. Ray was born in New York City on January 13, 1850. After graduating from college in 1869, Ray became a teacher at Howard University, where she would later register in the Law Department. In fear that she would not be admitted due to her gender, Ray registered as C.E. Ray. Charlotte Ray graduated from the Howard University School ...

Who was the first black woman to be admitted to the bar?

Charlotte Ray graduated from the Howard University School of Law on February 27, 1872, and was admitted to the District of Columbia Bar on March 2, 1872, making her the first black female attorney in the United States. She was also admitted as the first black female to practice in the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia on April 23, 1872.

Where was Barbara Jordan born?

Barbara Jordan was born in Houston, Texas on February 21, 1936. Due to segregation, Jordan could not attend The University of Texas at Austin, and instead chose Texas Southern University, a historically-black institution. After majoring in political science, Jordan attended Boston University School of law in 1956 and graduated in 1959.

Who was Jane Bolin?

She was the daughter of Gaius C. Bolin, a lawyer and the first black person to graduate from Williams College. At 16, she enrolled at Wellesley College where she was one of only two black freshmen. Bolin graduated in the top 20 of her class in 1928.

Where was Kamala Harris born?

Kamala Harris was born in Oakland, CA on October 20, 1964. By the time she attended kindergarten, Harris was being bused to school as part of a desegregation program. Throughout her childhood, children in her neighborhood were permitted from playing with her and her sister because they were Black.

Who was the first black woman to be a judge?

On July 22, 1939, Mayor of New York City, Fiorello La Guardia, appointed Bolin as a judge of the Domestic Relations Court, making Bolin the first black woman to serve as a judge in the United States. Bolin proceeded to be the only black female judge in the country for twenty years. Bolin remained a judge of the court for 40 years ...

Who was Constance Baker Motley?

Baker was inspired to attend law school after hearing a speech by Yale Law School graduate George Crawford, a civil rights attorney for the New Haven Branch of the NAACP.

What was Dylann Roof charged with?

In July 2015, after the Charleston church shooting, Lynch announced the suspected shooter Dylann Roof would be charged with a hate crime. On May 24, 2016, she further announced that the Justice Department would seek the death penalty for Roof.

Who is Loretta Lynch?

Loretta Elizabeth Lynch (born May 21, 1959) is an American lawyer who served as the 83rd attorney general of the United States from 2015 to 2017. She was appointed by President Barack Obama to succeed Eric Holder and previously served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York under both Presidents Bill Clinton (1999–2001) ...

What was the document that Lynch and Renteria were talking about?

In early March 2016, hackers working with Dutch intelligence had reportedly provided a highly classified Russian government document to the FBI . The document, which had "possible translation issues," had purportedly contained a memorialization of an alleged conversation between Lynch and Amanda Renteria. One of the allegations within the document reportedly said that Renteria had been assured that "Lynch would keep the Clinton investigation from going too far." FBI Director James Comey said it was "one of the bricks in the load" that led to his decision to not consult with the Department of Justice before closing the investigation, even though Lynch had denied ever speaking with Renteria, in addition to the FBI determining that the document was not credible.

Who was Eric Garner?

Following the July 2014 death of Eric Garner, an unarmed man who died after being held in a department-prohibited chokehold by a New York City police officer, Lynch agreed to meet with Garner's family to discuss possible federal prosecution of the officer believed to be responsible for Garner's death.

Who was the attorney general of FIFA?

While Lynch was U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, she supervised the investigation into senior FIFA officials from its earliest stages. The investigation culminated in the indictment of 14 senior FIFA officials and sports marketing executives shortly after Lynch was confirmed as Attorney General.

Who was the first African American woman to be appointed as Attorney General?

She was confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on February 26, 2015, and approved by the Senate in a 56–43 vote on April 23, thereby becoming the first African-American woman; the second African-American after Holder; and the second woman, after Janet Reno; to hold this office.

Who was the Supreme Court Justice who died?

After the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, Lynch's name was mentioned as being a potential nominee to replace him. On March 8, a Justice Department spokesperson said Lynch had asked the White House to withdraw her from consideration.

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Overview

Firsts nationwide

• Ada Kepley (1881): First woman to graduate with a law degree (1870) and practice in a court of law in the U.S.
• Charlotte E. Ray (1872): First African American female to earn a law degree in the U.S.
• Claudia L. Gordon (c. 2000): First deaf African American female to earn a law degree in the U.S.

Firsts in individual states

• List of first women lawyers and judges in Alabama
• List of first women lawyers and judges in Alaska
• List of first women lawyers and judges in Arizona
• List of first women lawyers and judges in Arkansas

Firsts in Washington, D.C. (Federal District)

• List of first women lawyers and judges in Washington D.C. (Federal District)

Firsts in the Territories of the U.S.

• List of first women lawyers and judges in the Territories of the U.S.

See also

• Timeline of women lawyers in the United States
• Women in law

Other topics of interest

• List of first minority male lawyers and judges in the United States
• List of African American jurists [United States]
• List of Asian American jurists [United States]
• List of first women lawyers and judges by nationality [International]