Vaino Spencer
Vaino Hassan Spencer (July 22, 1920 – October 25, 2016) was an American judge, the first African-American woman appointed to a judgeship in California.[1] She co-founded the Black Women Lawyers Association in 1975,[2] and the National Association of Women Judges in 1979.[3]
Vaino Spencer | |
|---|---|
| Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Second District, Division One | |
| In office August 19, 1980 – August 31, 2007 | |
| Appointed by | Governor Jerry Brown |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 22, 1920 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | October 25, 2016 (aged 96) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Spouse | Lorenzo V. Spencer |
| Education | Polytechnic High School |
| Alma mater | Los Angeles City College Southwestern Law School |
| Profession | Lawyer, judge |
| Known for | First African-American woman appointed to a judgeship in California |
Early life and education edit
Vaino Hassan was born in 1920, in Los Angeles. As a teenager, she appeared as a dancer in a Laurel and Hardy movie, Bonnie Scotland (1935), along with her father, Abdul Hassan.[4]
She graduated from Polytechnic High School in 1938, attended Los Angeles City College as an undergraduate, and earned a law degree from Southwestern Law School in 1952.[5] She was the third African-American woman admitted to the California bar.[6] Before her law degree, she held a real estate license, and worked in that business.[7]
Career edit
Vaino Hassan Spencer practiced as a lawyer in Los Angeles. In 1961 she was appointed as a municipal court judge in Los Angeles, the first black woman in California appointed to a judgeship. In 1976, she became a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge, and in 1980 she was named a Presiding Judge of the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, Division One. She retired in 2007 as "one of the longest-serving judges in California history."[8]
Personal life and legacy edit
Vaino Hassan married real estate agent Lorenzo V. Spencer.[9] They divorced in 1967.[10]
The National Association of Women Judges annually presents the Justice Vaino Spencer Leadership Award for outstanding leadership.[11]
Spencer died on October 25, 2016, at her home in Los Angeles.[12][13]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "L. A. Gets First Negro Woman Judge in State" Pasadena Independent (October 9, 1961): 2. via Newspapers.com
- ^ Beth Ann Krier, "Double Minority: Black Women Lawyers Organize" Los Angeles Times (November 23, 1975): E1.
- ^ Shae Collins, "Black History Abounds in L.A." Our Weekly Los Angeles (February 20, 2013).
- ^ Amina Hassan, Loren Miller, Civil Rights Attorney and Journalist (University of Oklahoma Press 2015): 266, note 153. ISBN 9780806152677
- ^ "Pioneering Alumna Vaino Spencer Retires from the Bench" Southwestern Law School, news release (October 17, 2007).
- ^ Yussuf Simmonds, "African American Women Appeal Court Justices" Los Angeles Sentinel (March 29, 2012).
- ^ Jessie Carnie Smith, ed., Notable Black American Women Volume 2 (VNR AG 1996): 612. ISBN 9780810391772
- ^ "Vaino Spencer to Retired as Presiding Justice" Metropolitan News-Enterprise (August 27, 2007).
- ^ "Woman Rules" Jet Magazine (October 26, 1961): 15.
- ^ Beverly Beyette, "Q&A: Justice Vaino Spencer on her Career" Los Angeles Times (October 29, 1980): 10.
- ^ National Association of Women Judges, Awards Description.
- ^ Vaino Spencer, Trailblazing Lawyer, Judge, Appeals Court PJ, Dies at 96 Metropolitan News. October 27, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
- ^ "California's first female black judge dies at 96". Houston Chronicle. Associated Press. October 31, 2016. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
External links edit
- Biography. California Court of Appeal, Second District, Division One.