To Journalists and Editors:

As you may have seen in published reports, the New York City Law Department is saddened to learn of the death of the Hon. Jane Bolin. She passed away this Monday (Jan. 8, 2006) at age 98.

Judge Bolin was a legal and civil service pioneer for women and minorities. She was one of only three women in her law school class and the first African-American woman to graduate from Yale Law School in 1931. Judge Bolin served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the New York City Law Department from 1937 to 1939, and was then appointed by Mayor LaGuardia as a judge of the Domestic Relations Court (now Family Court) -- making her the first African-American woman judge in the United States.

Throughout her life, she worked tirelessly to advocate for race and gender equality. In 1993, Judge Bolin received the Corporation Counsel's Award for Distinguished Service in recognition of her lifelong service to the people of New York. As part of Women's History Monthy in 2006, the Law Department also set up a display in honor of Judge Bolin, which still is featured in our Executive Offices.

Jane Bolin served as an inspiration to all," noted Corporation Counsel Michael A. Cardozo. "She achieved things unimaginable in an era when women and minorities had few opportunities. In fact, she graduated law school only
11 years after women could legally vote. The Law Department is proud of her many accomplishments -- and very proud that she worked with us in the 1930s. We can all learn from her many achievements."