by Kelly Gorrell
Judge Rebecca R. Steenrod was the first female Judge on the bench in the 10th Circuit. Below is a story profiling her time on the bench, while explaining the troubles she faced being one of the first women judges. Also, below is a time line displaying the first law school’s to admit women.
First Female Judge on the Bench in the 10th Circuit
A colorful assortment of pastries lay displayed on glass shelves, contributing to the smell of freshly baked goods permeating the bakery. Inside the Apples bakery sits retired judge Rebecca R. Steenrod, wearing a bright t-shirt that reads, “Life is good.” 
Steenrod, a retired associate circuit judge, was appointed by the circuit judges at the age of 38. “It was really not something I set as a goal, ever. I never set a goal of being a judge. I always thought I would just practice law my entire career.”
Among the many accomplishments in her career, Steenrod was the first female judge on the bench in the 10th Circuit from 1989 to 2009.
“I was hugely honored to say I was the first female judge in the circuit. That’s historical.”
Steenrod worked alongside many male judges, who she says were very supportive of her career and treated her well.
Although she received much respect and support from within the courthouse, Steenrod says, it was the public who had a difficult time accepting a woman in a powerful position.
“The most difficult part of being the first woman judge was teaching the general public to accept a woman as a judge, and that was hard,” she said.
There was a saying Steenrod heard that goes, “men are stern, and women are mean.” This saying rang true for her two decade-long career as a female judge.
“I held people to the behavior that I expected in a courtroom. So I would be perceived by a lot of the general public, especially early on as being mean.”
However, even with her best efforts to run the courtroom fairly, Steenrod was forced to overcome many obstacles due to her gender. Although she always referred to her defendants as Mr. and Miss, Steenrod had a hard time receiving the respect she deserved, being called demeaning names such as “hun”, while on the stand.
“I’m not your hun. You may refer to me as your honor or judge, but do not ever call me ‘hun’,” the retired judge said sternly. “How many people would say that to a male judge?”
At the time of her sitting on the bench, Steenrod admits just how shocking it was to see how many people could not conceive of the idea of a female being a judge.
“One time in Chicago, a cab driver asked me if I was the court reporter.”
At times, Steenrod even found the lawyers addressing one another to argue a case, instead of herself, taking matters into their own hands.
“The attempts were made in my courtroom. But I didn’t not allow that to happen,” she said.
Steenrod stood strong for what she believed to be proper courtroom etiquette, and refused to let her rules for appropriate behavior fall short because of the lack of respect. As a result of her well-run courtrooms, Steenrod was assigned to many high volume court cases.
“Today there are a lot more women practicing law in Peoria,” Steenrod said. Presently, two female associate judges sit in the 10th Circuit. However, men still outnumber women on the bench as a judge.
People such as Judge Steenrod have made a mark in history by paving the way for women all over the country to accomplish their career goals, while making changes in a predominantly male dominated arena. Now that Judge Steenrod is retired, she is able to enjoy her time off by knitting, socializing with friends and staying true to the logo on her t-shirt; … life is good.
First Law Schools to Admit Women
It wasn’t until the late 1800’s that women were given the opportunity to attend law school. In 1869 Lemma Barkaloo and Phoebe Wilson Couzins were the first women to be admitted to study law at Washington University. Click here to view a time line of the first schools in the US which admitted women into their law schools.