Law and Order: 7 Black Female Lawyers and Judges Who Shaped the Legal Landscape
- By
Terri Williams
Elaine R Jones
In 1967, after spending two years in the Peace Corps teaching English in Turkey, Elaine Jones applied to the University of Virginia’s Law School. She was one of seven females and two blacks accepted that year. Jones was the first black woman to graduate with a law degree from the school, and in 1970, she went to work for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF). In 1972, Jones was counsel in Furman v. Georgia, a landmark Supreme Court decision that abolished the death penalty in 37 states. In 1993, Jones became the first female director-counsel and president of the LDF, a position once held by Thurgood Marshall. She was also the first black person to serve on the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association.
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