Shirley Tolentino (1943–2010) was the first black woman to serve on the

New Jersey Superior Court The Superior Court is the state court in the U.S. state of New Jersey, with statewide trial and appellate jurisdiction. The New Jersey Constitution of 1947 establishes the power of the New Jersey courts: under Article Six of the State Consti ...

and was the first black woman appointed to the Jersey City Municipal Court and to serve as its presiding judge. She served as president of

National Association of Women Judges National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Background

Born and raised in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

, Tolentino graduated

Henry Snyder High School Academy of the Arts at Henry Snyder High School is a four-year performing arts public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Greenville section of Jersey City, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, operating as ...

. She earned a bachelor's degree in Latin from the College of St. Elizabeth (CSE) in 1965. She taught high school Latin and English before earning her J.D. degree from

Seton Hall University School of Law Seton Hall University School of Law is the law school of Seton Hall University, and is located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Seton Hall Law is the only private law school in New Jersey. The school confers three law degrees: Juris Doctor, Ma ...

in 1971. She received a master of laws degree in criminal justice from

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 ...

in 1980.

Career

Shirley Tolentino was the first black woman to serve on the Superior Court and was the first black woman appointed to the Jersey City Municipal Court and to serve as its presiding judge. Tolentino worked as a legal editor for Prentice-Hall from 1971 to 1972 and as an adjudicator for the

Veterans Administration The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

from 1972 to 1973. She as a deputy attorney general from 1973 until 1976. In 1976, then-

Mayor of Jersey City The Mayor of the City of Jersey City is the head of the executive branch of the government of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. The mayor has the duty to enforce the municipal charter and ordinances; prepare the annual budget; appoint dep ...

Paul T. Jordan appointed Tolentino as the first

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

woman to serve as a full-time municipal court judge in New Jersey. She was elevated to presiding judge in 1981.

Governor of New Jersey The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The ...

Thomas Kean Thomas Howard Kean ( ; born April 21, 1935) is an American politician, statesman, and academic administrator from the state of New Jersey. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, Kean served two terms as the 48th governor of New Jersey f ...

nominated Tolentino to the Superior Court in January 1984. She sat in the civil, criminal and family divisions during a 26-year period. Judge Tolentino served on the Supreme Court Task Force on Minorities and was a member of the

, serving as president in 1996-97 JudgeShirleyTolentinoAvenue

Awards and honors

Tolentino received an honorary degree from College of St. Elizabeth in 1980. In 1981, she received the Whitney Young Award from the Hudson County Urban League. The intersection where the

Hudson County Administration Building The Hudson County Administration Building is home to the seat of government of Hudson County, New Jersey, US. It is located at 595 Newark Avenue in the Journal Square section of Jersey City in the abutting Five Corners and Hilltop neighborhoods ...

is situated was named in her honor in March 2012. In 2014, a new postal facility on MLK Drive in Jackson Hill, Jersey City was designated the Shirley A. Tolentino Post Office Building in her honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tolentino, Shirley 1943 births 2010 deaths 20th-century African-American women 20th-century American women judges 20th-century New Jersey state court judges 21st-century African-American women Henry Snyder High School alumni New Jersey state court judges New York University School of Law alumni Lawyers from Jersey City, New Jersey Seton Hall University School of Law alumni Superior court judges in the United States Women in New Jersey politics

Background

Career

Awards and honors

See also

References