Milestones for African Americans in the California Judicial Branch

This timeline shares milestones involving cases impacting African Americans in California, as well as select African American jurists throughout California judicial branch history.

1850-06-01 12:31:37

California is a Free State

California entered the Union in 1850 with a state constitution that banned slavery.

1850-06-30 00:00:00

Discriminatory Laws Against African Americans

Despite California being a free state, laws would hinder the development of African-American economic and political power in the state for the entire decade.

1852-04-01 00:39:22

Mary Ellen Pleasant Moves to San Francisco

Known as the "Mother" of the early civil rights movement in California, Mrs. Pleasant was a self-made millionaire and abolitionist who helped fugitive slaves.

1852-04-18 20:30:33

California Passes the Fugitive Slave Law

The state enacted a law that would help slaveowners recapture escaped slaves and return them to the South.

1858-04-14 00:00:00

Archy Lee Stirs Civil Discourse

The enslavement and ultimate freedom of Archy Lee brought about cases that helped defined civil rights in the state of California.

1874-05-01 00:00:00

California Supreme Court Decides Its First School Segregation Case

22 years before the U.S. Supreme Court decided Plessy v. Ferguson, the California Supreme Court decided Ward v. Flood, which established "separate but equal" schools.

1876-01-21 00:00:00

Biddy Mason: From Enslaved Person to Landowner

Granted freedom in California, Biddy Mason became one of the first African American women to become a landowner in Los Angeles.

1910-01-01 09:29:21

The Great Migration

African Americans from the South moved to Western states like California as well as other regions of the U.S. to escape racial violence, pursue economic and educational opportunities, and obtain freedom from the oppression of Jim Crow.

1941-11-15 23:49:55

First Male African-American Judge in California

Edwin L. Jefferson was appointed to a judgeship in the Los Angeles Municipal Court by Governor Culbert Olson.

1961-10-09 00:00:00

First Female African American Judge in California

Vaino Spencer was the third African-American woman to be admitted to the California bar.

1969-05-08 11:36:49

First African-American Federal Judge West of the Mississippi

David W. Williams was nominated by President Richard Nixon to a seat in the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

1977-02-12 02:00:00

First African American Jurist on the California Supreme Court

Wiley Manuel worked on landmark criminal cases and gave back to the community.

1980-03-01 23:52:00

First Female African American Justice on the California Court of Appeal

Justice Arleigh Woods served as Administrative Presiding Justice and Presiding Justice in the Second Appellate District.

1996-05-03 03:45:03

First Female African American Justice on the California Supreme Court

Justice Janice Rogers Brown was elevated to the California Supreme Court from the California Court of Appeal by Governor Pete Wilson.

2015-01-05 07:03:31

Justice Leondra Kruger Sworn In to the California Supreme Court

Justice Leondra Kruger was nominated to the California Supreme Court by Governor Jerry Brown. It is her first role on the judge's bench.

2019-07-03 21:34:05

California Passes Law Banning Discrimination Against Natural Hair

The state passed the CROWN (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair) Act (SB 188) to prohibit discrimination based on hair texture and style.