Johnnie Blakeney Rawlinson (born December 16, 1952) is a

United States circuit judge In the United States, federal judges are judges who serve on courts established under Article Three of the U.S. Constitution. They include the chief justice and the associate justices of the U.S. Supreme Court, the circuit judges of the U.S. ...

of the

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * District ...

and a former United States District Judge of the

United States District Court for the District of Nevada United may refer to: Places * United, Pennsylvania, an unincorporated community * United, West Virginia, an unincorporated community Arts and entertainment Films * ''United'' (2003 film), a Norwegian film * ''United'' (2011 film), a BBC Two f ...

Early life

Rawlinson was born in

Concord, North Carolina Concord is the county seat and largest city in Cabarrus County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 105,186, with an estimated population in 2021 of 107,697. In terms of population, the cit ...

. She received a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University ...

from

North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (also known as North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina A&T, N.C. A&T, or simply A&T) is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Caro ...

in 1974. She received a J.D. from

University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law is a private, American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law school in the Oak Park neighborhood of the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the University of the Pacific and is located on t ...

in 1979. She was in private practice of law in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

from 1979 to 1980. In 1980, Rawlinson and Viveca Monet Woods became the first African American women admitted to practice law in Nevada. Rawlinson was a staff attorney of Nevada Legal Services, Las Vegas, Nevada in 1980. She worked at the Office of the District Attorney, Las Vegas, Nevada from 1980 to 1998. She was a deputy district attorney from 1980 to 1989, and a chief deputy district attorney from 1989 to 1995. She was an assistant district attorney from 1995 to 1998.

Education and career

Rawlinson received most of her education in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, where she earned her

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

degree summa cum laude from

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (also known as North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina A&T, N.C. A&T, or simply A&T) is a public, historically black land-grant research university in Greensboro, North Caro ...

in 1974. She graduated with distinction from the

McGeorge School of Law University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law is a private, American Bar Association (ABA)-approved law school in the Oak Park neighborhood of the city of Sacramento, California. It is part of the University of the Pacific and is located on t ...

at the University of the Pacific, receiving her Juris Doctor in 1979. She had served as deputy district attorney and chief deputy for over 17 years in the office of the Clark County District Attorney in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, as well as receiving law practice as a clerk at Kiefer Clark & O'Reilly and other legal services throughout the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

prior to her appointments. She served as a United States district judge after being nominated by President Clinton and confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

in 1997. She was the first female judge to serve on the

. In 2016, Judge Rawlinson received a Master of Judicial Studies degree from

Duke University School of Law Duke University School of Law (Duke Law School or Duke Law) is the law school of Duke University, a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. One of Duke's 10 schools and colleges, the School of Law is a constituent academic unit t ...

Federal judicial service

District court service

Rawlinson was a federal judge to the

. Rawlinson was nominated by President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

on January 27, 1998, to a seat vacated by Lloyd D. George. She was confirmed by the

on April 2, 1998, and received commission on April 7, 1998. Rawlinson's service was terminated on July 26, 2000, due to elevation to the

Ninth Circuit Court The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * District ...

Court of appeals service

Rawlinson was nominated by President

on February 22, 2000, to a seat on the

after being recommended for the post by United States Senator

Harry Reid Harry Mason Reid Jr. (; December 2, 1939 – December 28, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017. He led the Senate Democratic Caucus from 2005 to 2017 and was the Sena ...

. Rawlinson was nominated to a seat vacated by Melvin T. Brunetti. Rawlinson was confirmed by the

by a voice vote on July 21, 2000, making her the final appeals-court nominee to be confirmed during Clinton's presidency. She received her commission on July 26, 2000. Rawlinson subsequently took the oath of office on the same day, becoming the first African American woman to sit on the Ninth Circuit. On April 14, 2022, news reports stated Rawlinson suggested she would consider assuming senior status, creating a vacancy for her seat on the

, if Berna Rhodes-Ford, former law clerk and wife of Aaron D. Ford, would be nominated as her successor.

Personal life

Rawlinson resides in

. Her husband of 40 years, Dwight Rawlinson, had cancer and died in August 2016.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rawlinson, Johhnie Blakeney 1952 births African-American judges Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Judges of the United States District Court for the District of Nevada Living people McGeorge School of Law alumni North Carolina A&T State University alumni People from Concord, North Carolina United States court of appeals judges appointed by Bill Clinton United States district court judges appointed by Bill Clinton 20th-century American judges 20th-century American women judges 21st-century American women judges 21st-century American judges