Burnita Shelton Matthews
Encyclopedia
Burnita Shelton Matthews (December 28, 1894 – April 25, 1988) was a judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia
. She was the first woman appointed to serve on a U.S. district court
.
Born near Hazlehurst, Mississippi on December 28, 1896, Burnita Shelton (she married Percy Matthews in 1917) was sent by her father to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, so that she could earn a living teaching music lessons. However, she enrolled in the National University Law School (today the George Washington University Law School) in 1917, earning her degree and passing the District of Columbia bar in 1920. She was not welcomed into the professional associations by male lawyers—the District of Columbia Bar Association returned her application and check for dues. Matthews and other women formed their own professional associations, including the Woman's Bar Association of the District of Columbia and the National Association of Women Lawyers. In the 1930s, Matthews founded the law firm of Matthews, Berrien, and Greathouse with two other women attorneys who were also National Woman's Party members.
Matthews worked closely with the suffragist National Woman's Party
, eventually serving as the organization's counsel. Matthews represented the party in its effort to prevent condemnation of its Washington headquarters by the federal government; the land was condemned and the U.S. Supreme Court
erected on the site, but Matthews successfully obtained the largest condemnation settlement awarded by the U.S. government at the time, $299,200.
President Harry S. Truman
named Matthews to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 1949. She was confirmed by the United States Senate
the following year. Matthews heard several newsworthy cases, including the passport denial of actor Paul Robeson
and the 1956 bribery trial of Jimmy Hoffa
. Matthews served as an active-duty judge until 1968, when she took senior status
; she served as a senior district judge until her death on April 25, 1988.
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United States District Court for the District of Columbia
The United States District Court for the District of Columbia is a federal district court. Appeals from the District are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit The United States District Court for the District of Columbia (in case citations, D.D.C.) is a...
. She was the first woman appointed to serve on a U.S. district court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
.
Born near Hazlehurst, Mississippi on December 28, 1896, Burnita Shelton (she married Percy Matthews in 1917) was sent by her father to the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, so that she could earn a living teaching music lessons. However, she enrolled in the National University Law School (today the George Washington University Law School) in 1917, earning her degree and passing the District of Columbia bar in 1920. She was not welcomed into the professional associations by male lawyers—the District of Columbia Bar Association returned her application and check for dues. Matthews and other women formed their own professional associations, including the Woman's Bar Association of the District of Columbia and the National Association of Women Lawyers. In the 1930s, Matthews founded the law firm of Matthews, Berrien, and Greathouse with two other women attorneys who were also National Woman's Party members.
Matthews worked closely with the suffragist National Woman's Party
National Woman's Party
The National Woman's Party , was a women's organization founded by Alice Paul in 1915 that fought for women's rights during the early 20th century in the United States, particularly for the right to vote on the same terms as men...
, eventually serving as the organization's counsel. Matthews represented the party in its effort to prevent condemnation of its Washington headquarters by the federal government; the land was condemned and the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
erected on the site, but Matthews successfully obtained the largest condemnation settlement awarded by the U.S. government at the time, $299,200.
President Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
named Matthews to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in 1949. She was confirmed by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
the following year. Matthews heard several newsworthy cases, including the passport denial of actor Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
and the 1956 bribery trial of Jimmy Hoffa
Jimmy Hoffa
James Riddle "Jimmy" Hoffa was an American labor union leader....
. Matthews served as an active-duty judge until 1968, when she took senior status
Senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...
; she served as a senior district judge until her death on April 25, 1988.
External links
- Burnita Shelton Matthews Papers.Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
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