Last updated on November 22nd, 2025 at 01:56 am
JANE BOLIN
When it comes to first, Bolin was no stranger. She is the first Black woman to graduate from Yale Law School, the first to join the New York City Bar Association and the first into the New York City Law Department. In 1939 Bolin became the first Black female judge in the history of the United States. She remained the only Black woman on the bench for 20 years before others ascended.
Bolin herself served until she was required to retire at the age of 70. After retirement she was on the New York City Board of regents, reviewing cases. She lived until she was 98, when she died in Long Island, New York on January 8, 2007.
