The State Bar of Texas’ Litigation Section will induct U.S. District Judge Mary Lou Robinson as a Texas Legal Legend on Friday.
The ceremony will be held at noon at the Texas Tech University School of Law.
When Judge Robinson was awarded her law degree from the University of Texas in 1950, she was one of only six female law students at the school, according to a news release on the event.
Robinson practiced law with her husband after starting their own firm – Robinson & Robinson – from 1950 until 1955, at which point Mary Lou Robinson was appointed as the first Potter County Court at Law judge at the age of 28.
According to the release, Robinson began a campaign to bring about positive change for women’s rights, traveling to the panhandle to give speeches at night and spending her weekends advocating for changes to the law.
In 1973 she became the first female appellate judge after being appointed to the Amarillo Court of Civil Appeals. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the federal bench, where she has served since.
Over her career, Robinson has been honored with many awards, including the Sandra Day O’Connor Award for Professional Excellence from the Texas Center for Legal Ethics.
The Texas Legal Legends project memorializes the stories of exemplary Texas lawyers and uses those stories to further the public’s understanding of the importance of their work and their service to the people. The project also maintains videos with some of the past inductees.