Burnita Shelton Matthews

Burnita Shelton Matthews (born December 28, 1894, Burnell, Mississippi, U.S.—died April 25, 1988, Washington, D.C.) was an American judge who in 1949 became the first woman to serve as a federal district judge when she was named to the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia by Pres. Harry S. Truman.

As a young woman, Matthews was sent to study voice and piano at the Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, Ohio, although her real interest was in law. She later moved to Washington, D.C., and took a job at the Veterans Administration in order to attend law school at night. In 1919 she graduated from National University Law School (later George Washington University) and became an active campaigner for women’ s rights. During her 30 years of practicing law, she helped draft bills for the National Woman’ s Party. When Matthews was named a judge, she had to overcome the prejudice of her fellow judges because of her sex. She became a senior judge in 1968, which enabled her to reduce her court work load, though she heard cases until she was 88 years old.