Birdie Amsterdam (March 25, 1901 – July 8, 1996) was an

attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gov ...

and judge in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, who became the first woman to serve as a justice of the

New York State Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

Biography

Born on the

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

into a first generation

Jewish American American Jews (; ) or Jewish Americans are American citizens who are Jewish, whether by culture, ethnicity, or religion. According to a 2020 poll conducted by Pew Research, approximately two thirds of American Jews identify as Ashkenazi, 3% id ...

family, Amsterdam attended

Hunter College High School Hunter College High School is a public academic magnet secondary school located in the Carnegie Hill section of the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It is administered and funded by Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY) and no t ...

, studied for one year at the

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

, and then attended

New York University School of Law The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest survivin ...

. Amsterdam attended law school at night while working as a record-keeper at Mount Sinai Hospital. According to her ''New York Times'' obituary, "She swiftly established a reputation not only as a skillful lawyer but also as an eloquent friend of the downtrodden, a champion of women's rights and a diligent emocraticparty worker."

Career

In 1940, Amsterdam was elected to the New York City Municipal Court, becoming the first woman to serve as a judge of that court. She was reelected to that position in 1949. In 1954, Amsterdam was appointed to fill a vacancy as a justice of the City Court, a higher-ranking tribunal on which she was again the first woman to serve as a judge; she was elected to a full term on that court in 1955. In 1958, Amsterdam was elected as a justice of the New York State Supreme Court, the state's highest trial court. She served in that position until her retirement in 1975. Birdie was also an activist and leader in her community. She led a

war bond War bonds (sometimes referred to as victory bonds, particularly in propaganda) are Security (finance)#Debt, debt securities issued by a government to finance military operations and other expenditure in times of war without raising taxes to an un ...

drive on the Lower East side in addition to being involved as a district co-leader in the Manhattan Democratic Club.

Personal life

Briefly married and later divorced to Dr. Robert Dunn. Spent many years living with Ruth and Judge Milton Sanders. She died on July 8, 1996.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amsterdam, Birdie 1901 births 1996 deaths Hunter College High School alumni City College of New York alumni New York University School of Law alumni New York Supreme Court justices 20th-century New York state court judges 20th-century American lawyers 20th-century American Jews 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American women judges First women judges People from the Lower East Side Jews from New York City New York (state) Democrats