Judge Jane Bolin: Believed that love and the law were allies.

On July 22, 1939, when New York City Mayor Frank LaGuardia summoned attorney Jane Bolin to his office, Ms. Bolin had no idea why she was being told to go to City Hall.

So when she arrived and the Mayor told her that she was being sworn in, right then and there, as a New York City Domestic Relations/Family Court Judge, she was as surprised as anyone.

It's not like she didn't deserve the appointment.  After all, prior to becoming a judge, Ms. Bolin, was the first black woman to graduate from Yale Law School and her intellect and abilities made her a standout as the very first black woman to join the New York City Law Department. 

However, being "the first" was not Judge Bolin's chief priority.  Justice, equity, and equality, in and outside the courthouse, were her number one priorities.  

Consequently, she successfully: stopped the City's practice of assigning probation officers based on race; advocated for terminating the public funding to day care agencies which refused to provide services to certain children based on their race or ethnic background; and fought to end segregated public housing in New York City.

Regrettably, as she successfully changed systems that surrounded the courthouse, the fight for equality of opportunity in the judiciary remained illusive - particularly for black women. Incredibly, it would take another decade, after her appointment, before another black woman was appointed a judge in America. 

Even though Judge Bolin would recall that, over her life time, she was, sometimes, "embarrassed ", "horrified", and "sadden",  by what she had experienced on and off the bench, she remained steadfast in her belief that the "law and love were not opposites" but they were,  in fact, allies.