Mary S. Coleman
Mary S. Coleman | |
|---|---|
 Coleman c. 1977 | |
| Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court | |
| In office 1973–1982 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 24, 1914 Forney, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | November 27, 2001 (aged 87) |
| Spouse | Creighton Coleman |
| Education | University of Maryland George Washington University |
| Occupation | Judge |
| Known for | First female chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court |
Mary Stallings Coleman (June 24, 1914 – November 27, 2001)[1] was a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court from 1973 until 1982.
Early life and career
Coleman was born in Forney, Texas, but grew up in Washington, DC. She did her undergraduate work at the University of Maryland, where she was twice voted Miss University of Maryland,[2] and received her law degree from George Washington University Law School. Coleman eventually settled in Marshall, Michigan[3] and became a circuit court judge in Calhoun County, where she had previously been a probate judge.[4]
During this period she would marry Creighton Coleman, a Michigan circuit judge who was formerly Republican leader in the Michigan State Senate.[5] She would have two daughters, both of whom became physicians.[6]
Career on the bench
Coleman ran for the Michigan Supreme Court in 1972. She was the first woman to run for this office,[7] but gained substantial media support for advocating individual rights, judicial restraint, the rule of law[8] and small-scale reforms of juvenile justice.[5][9] She won the election and took office in 1973.
Upon her election, Coleman admitted that she was at odds with many of the court's decisions in previous years[10] and she chalked up a reputation as a conservative judge who believed that courts must not
step into other branches of government[11]
Despite her conservative reputation, Coleman always saw herself as a moderate, and in her first year she did write an opinion on women's property rights that received unanimous support and recognized married women's interest in their personal property.[6]
With Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan both seeking to nominate the first female Supreme Court of the United States Justice, Coleman was considered a possibility both to replace William O. Douglas in 1975,[11][12] and to replace Potter Stewart at the next vacancy six years later.[12][13] Coleman's age ultimately ruled her out:[14] she was one year older than Justice Stewart himself, and at sixty-seven in 1981 was three years older than the oldest Justice ever appointed to the Court for the first time.
She ran for re-election 1978 and retired in 1982 two years before her second term ended. Governor William Milliken appointed Lieutenant Governor James H. Brickley to replace Coleman just before he and Brickley left office.[15]
Honors
On the Michigan Supreme Court, Coleman was elected the fourth female chief justice of any state, following Lorna E. Lockwood of Arizona, Susie Marshall Sharp of North Carolina, and Rose Bird of California.[16]
Coleman is in the University of Maryland Hall of Fame and was an inaugural member of the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Hoffman, Kathy Barks (November 28, 2001). "Michigan's First Female Supreme Court Justice Dies at 87". Grand Haven Tribune. p. 6.
- ^ Person Jr., James E., ed. (May 25, 2018). Imaginative Conservatism: The Letters of Russell Kirk. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 9780813175478.
- ^ a b "The Hon. Mary Stallings Coleman". Northwood University. January 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ "Michigan's First Elected Female Supreme Court Justice Dies". Ventura County Star. Associated Press. November 28, 2001. p. B7.
- ^ a b Kirk, Russell (November 4, 1972). "To the Point: A Woman on the Supreme Court?". The Danville Register. p. 4-A.
- ^ a b O'Brien, Sheila (November 9, 1973). "Values Supreme Court Role: Justice Coleman Works Well on Many Levels". Lansing State Journal. p. D1.
- ^ Baird, Willard (September 3, 1972). "The Men Stepped Aside". Battle Creek Enquirer. p. 1.
- ^ "Supremely Qualified: Michigan Needs Judge Mary Coleman on the Supreme Court". Jackson Citizen Patriot. Jackson, Michigan. November 6, 1972. p. 32.
- ^ "Our Choices for High Court". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. October 31, 1972. p. 6A.
- ^ "Mary Coleman Out to Reverse Court". The Bay City Times. Bay City, Michigan. November 20, 1972. p. 3-A.
- ^ a b Gentry, Margaret (November 13, 1975). "Women Dominate Supreme Court Prospect List". Spokane Chronicle. p. 5.
- ^ a b "Report Lists Three New High Court Candidates". The Durham Sun. July 3, 1981. p. 2-A.
- ^ O'Brien, David M. (2003). Storm Center (Sixth ed.). p. 70.
- ^ Graham, Hugh Davis; Brownlee, W. Elliot, eds. (2003). The Reagan Presidency: Pragmatic Conservatism and Its Legacies. University Press of Kansas. p. 341. ISBN 9780700612680.
- ^ "Mary Stallings Coleman". Michigan Women Forward. Retrieved March 28, 2022.
- ^ "Civil Rights Update: February 1979". Civil Rights Update (Report). United States Commission on Civil Rights. 1979.