Judge Rice was known as an empathetic and fair judge who was the first openly LGBTQ judge in Santa Clara County. An ordained priest in 1973, he brought exceptional compassion to the bench. Judge Rice started his judicial service in 1999 but suffered a serious...
Serving on the bench from 1985 to 1997, Judge Northrup is remembered for his hard work and gentle nature. On his passing, the Wisconsin Law Journal wrote that Judge Northrup “was one of the fairest people to ever smack a gavel. Maybe it was because...
Master Rob Muir was the first openly LGBTQ master in Canada when he was appointed in 2009. He was a valued colleague, admired mentor, respected leader and cherished friend on the bench. Master Muir was a founding member of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Committee of...
Judge Meagher was artist, poet, writer and judge. Appointed in 1989, he was the first openly LGBTQ+ Judge in Massachusetts. Following his retirement in 2006, he became a well recognized artist with his drawings, paintings and sculptures exhibited in galleries across Massachusetts. Judge Meagher was a...
Judge Pat Logue served in the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County since 2007. Prior to her judicial service, Pat was a leading advocate at Lambda Legal who secured important several legal victories for the LGBTQ+ community including Lawrence v. Texas....
Co-founder of the world's first gay and lesbian synagogue, Judge Jerold Krieger was a well-known, openly gay judge, who was most notably remembered for his service as Chairperson of the Sexual Orientation Fairness Subcommittee of the California Judicial Council's Access and Fairness Advisory Committee. Judge Krieger...
Judge Johnson served as a Judge in the Juvenile Justice Division from 2012 until her passing in February 2023. Prior to becoming a judge, she served as a public defender for more than 20 years where she rose to become one of the first black...
Judge Gorton served as a Judge from 1997 to 2008. Prior to becoming a judge, he was a national leader on anti-bullying best practices and as well as anti-hate crime legislation. June 12, 2010, Judge Gorton served as the Grand Marshall of the 40th anniversary...
The first openly gay male judge in Oregon, Judge Gernant graduated from Harvard Law School in 1968. He served as a judge from 1986 to 2008. Upon his retirement, Judge Gernant moved to Michigan where he immersed himself in musical theater and his greatest love –...
An altruist at heart, Judge Herbert Donaldson loved being recognized as the first openly gay judge in San Francisco. Also remembered as a “renaissance man,” Judge Donaldson once ventured into a side business in coffee shop ownership and coffee bean wholesaling. Judge Donaldson was a founding member...