Washington Courts: Press Release DetailTemple of Justice exhibit extended as it honors Washington’s first women of lawApril 29, 2010
OLYMPIA — An exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Washington State honors the first women to break the gender barrier in Washington’s legal profession. The exhibit will remain on display in the Temple of Justice in Olympia until further notice, according to Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Barbara Madsen. The exhibit joins others throughout the state commemorating the advancement of women as a result of gaining the right the vote.
“This exhibit is a reminder of how far our state has come in opening the courthouse doors to women, both those in the legal profession and those seeking justice,” Madsen said. “However, it is also a reminder that those doors were closed not so long ago and we must keep working toward equal access and representation in the justice system for all people.”
The exhibit is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Temple of Justice on the Capitol Campus in Olympia. It is sponsored by the Washington State Gender and Justice Commission, chaired by Chief Justice Madsen, and was created in conjunction with the Washington State Heritage Center. The display honors a series of “firsts” among women in the legal profession:
· Attorney -- First woman admitted to the Washington State Bar Association (Rebecca Hurn, 1913);
· Judge -- First female superior court judge (Nancy Holman, King County, 1970);
· Justice -- First female state Supreme Court justice (Carolyn Dimmick, 1981);
· Bar President -- First woman president of the Washington State Bar Association (Elizabeth Bracelin, 1986);
· Chief Justice -- First woman serving as chief justice of the Washington Supreme Court (Barbara Durham, 1995);
· High Court Majority -- First female majority on the Washington Supreme Court (Justices Barbara Madsen, Bobbe Bridge, Faith Ireland, Susan Owen and Mary Fairhurst in 2003).
The Temple of Justice exhibit coincides with a “first women” leadership display across
the Capitol Campus courtyard in the Secretary of State’s office, which will remain up
through the end of the year. Other exhibits around Olympia and Washington state this year
commemorate the November 1910 election in which Washington’s male voters, by a large
margin, approved amending the state constitution to allow women the right to vote.
For more information on these exhibits, visit the Washington Women’s History
Consortium web site at www.washingtonwomenshistory.org.
CONTACT: Myra Downing, director, Washington State Gender and Justice Commission, (360) 705-5290, Myra.Downing@courts.wa.gov.
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