The Ninth Judicial Circuit
Historical Society

preserves and educates about the vibrant legal history of the West,
and about the vital importance of an independent judiciary.

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This Month
at the NJCHS

CELEBRATING WOMEN

The Circuit Spotlight

NJCHS Updates

Female Trailblazers
of the West

In honor of Women’s History Month, we invite you to read the inspiring stories of Justice Ruth McGregor, Annette Abbott Adams and Lucile Lomen, each of whom was a “first” in some aspect of legal history.

Virtual Visits: EDWA

Join us for our virtual tour of Courthouses around the Ninth Circuit! First stop: the Eastern District of Washington. With three lovely courthouses, there is so much to see. Each Courthouse building is not only architecturally and historically interesting on its own, but the lobby of each Courthouse also contains beautifully designed historical displays!

First Women
in the Law

A must-watch series: “Women in the Law: Going First and Going Forward” featuring trailblazing women from around the Ninth Circuit, sharing with tremendous honesty, sincerity, and humor what it was like to be the first woman in a particular role in the law.

Upcoming Events

Our Calendar
20 April The Demonization of (Im)migrants:
Dust Bowl Refugees and the Supreme Court Presented by the Northern District of California Historical Society, co-sponsored by the Ninth Judicial… View Details

Newest Article

Our current issue of Western Legal History

This issue simply labeled “First,” presents pieces about: the first woman to be selected as a U.S. Supreme Court law clerk;  the first woman to serve as a Presidentially-appointed United States Attorney; the G.I  Bill, and much more.

Read the Full Issue
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    Our Latest Exhibit

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      How the Women’s Vote Was Won in the West!

      100 years ago the 19th Amendment was adopted, granting women the right to vote. But did you know that women throughout the 9th Circuit already had the vote?  This gorgeous Exhibit highlights key points of the long road to Women’s Suffrage in the West.

      View Exhibit View All
      How the Women’s Vote Was Won in the West!

      100 years ago the 19th Amendment was adopted, granting women the right to vote. But did you know that women throughout the 9th Circuit already had the vote?  This gorgeous Exhibit highlights key points of the long road to Women’s Suffrage in the West.

      View Exhibit View All
      How the Women’s Vote Was Won in the West!

      100 years ago the 19th Amendment was adopted, granting women the right to vote. But did you know that women throughout the 9th Circuit already had the vote?  This gorgeous Exhibit highlights key points of the long road to Women’s Suffrage in the West.

      View Exhibit View All

      Oral History Spotlight

      Judge Milan D. Smith, Jr.

      A distinguished jurist on the Ninth Circuit Court since 2006, Milan D. Smith, Jr. comes from a rich family tradition of public service going back four generations.

      As a young man,  he met Richard Nixon, John and Bobby Kennedy, and George Wallace. He probably is one of the few people who can say he saw Nikita Khrushchev holding a goose! Evelyn Woods, the matriarch of speed-reading, hired him as a demonstrator and taught him herself. As a result of legislation vetoed by Governor Pete Wilson, Judge Smith resigned from the Fair Employment & Housing Commission due to its inability to recompense women seeking assistance. Unbeknownst to him at the time, 20 years later this moral stance would end up helping him get appointed to the Ninth Circuit bench.

      These are some of the many defining experiences Judge Smith shares with us in his oral history, as interviewed by fellow Ninth Circuit jurist and friend, Judge Randy Smith. Watch the interview here, or read its transcript below!

      Read the full transcript here!