Dorothy Nelson

Dr. Dorothy W. Nelson
Nelson speaking at the 1973 National Convention.
BornSeptember 30, 1928
San Pedro, California
NSA memberUSA
1969 - 2009
Spouse(s)James Nelson
 Media

Dorothy Wright Nelson (born September 30, 1928) is an American Baháʼí who served on the National Spiritual Assembly of the United States. In her career she served as a Senior United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Biography[edit]

Born in San Pedro, California,[1] Wright received an Artium Baccalaureus degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1950, and the same year she married James Nelson, a longtime Los Angeles Municipal Court judge.[2] The couple became Baháʼís in 1954 following a suggestion to explore the religion from Donald Barrett,[3][4] and eventually had two children.[2]

She received a Juris Doctor from UCLA School of Law in 1953, and a Master of Laws from the USC Gould School of Law in 1956. She was a research associate fellow at the Gould School of Law from 1953 to 1956. She was in private practice in Los Angeles, California from 1954 to 1957. She was a member of the faculty of the Gould School of Law from 1957 to 1980, an instructor from 1957 to 1958, an assistant professor from 1958 to 1961, an associate professor from 1961 to 1967, and associate dean from 1965 to 1967. She was an interim dean from 1967 to 1969 and because of her achievement she was named Woman of the Year by Time magazine.[5]

She worked as a professor of law from 1967 to 1980 and was dean of law from 1969 to 1980. She became adjunct professor of law at the Gould School of Law in 1980.[6] In 1973 she was mentioned as a potential candidate for the US Supreme Court in U.S. media.[7] In 1989, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree from Whittier College.[8]

Nelson was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on September 28, 1979, to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, to a new seat created by 92 Stat. 1629. She was confirmed by the United States Senate on December 19, 1979, and received her commission on December 20, 1979. She assumed senior status on January 1, 1995.[6]

Talks[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Kay, Ernest (27 April 1975). "The World Who's who of Women". Melrose Press – via Google Books.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Sweeney, Joan (October 13, 1969). "Petticoat Revolution Happening in Court". San Bernardino Sun. UCR California Digital Newspaper Collection. UPI. p. 15. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  3. ↑ Dorothy Wright Nelson (October 12, 2007). An interview with the Honorable Dorothy Nelson, Judge, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (Video). H. Dale Hilton Living History Project of the Emerti Center at the University of Southern California. USC on YouTube.
  4. ↑ Dorothy Wright Nelson (October 21, 2007). Dorothy Nelson Oral History Interview (Television). Women Trailblazers in the Law collection of the American Bar Association. C-Span.org.
  5. ↑ Dorothy Townsend (23 Dec 1968). "Times woman of the year, Dorothy Wright Nelson, Dean of USC Law School, holds unique position". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. 49. Retrieved Nov 7, 2016.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Template:FJC Bio
  7. ↑ Barth, Ilene (January 7, 1973). "If a seat opens: Will Nixon choose a woman for the Supreme Court?". The Lincoln Star. Lincoln, Nebraska. p. 88. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  8. ↑ "Honorary Degrees | Whittier College". www.whittier.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-20.


This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Unported License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Dorothy Wright Nelson.
Retrieved from "https://bahaipedia.org/index.php?title=Dorothy_Nelson&oldid=146330"

Table Of Contents