Background Check

BACKGROUND CHECK Juliet Griffin | Mary E. Walker

This issue of the Nashville Bar Journal celebrates the 100th year since the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote. This was one step in creating a climate that encouraged girls and women to believe their role in society was important and that anything was possible. Juliet’s story is one of many that document the truth of opportunity, hard work, and the importance of collegiality.

As reported in the Nashville Banner on December 5, 1986, the announcement by outgoing Nashville Bar Association President Lew Conner of Juliet Griffin’s election as the first woman NBA President, “touched off an exultant shout from the crowd of more than 500 members who attended the annual association banquet.” Lew Conner led up to his announcement saying “. . . in the last 156 years of its [NBA] existence, every president has been addressed as ‘Mister.’ That will not be the case in 1987.” In a subsequent article, he says, “Juliet Griffin is the president of the NBA for one reason and one reason only— she’s the most qualified person.”

That being said, and although undeniably true, this was 1986, and the idea of a woman president of the 1,700 member NBA was not a given. In fact, in the 10 years prior to 1986, 23 women

were nominated to the 18-member NBA Board with only 8 elected. Until 1986, there was no more than one woman elected in each board class when Chris Norris and Ruth Kinnard broke that record.

In addition to Juliet, there were two other women serving on the board in 1986—Aleta Trauger and Jean Nelson. In order to elect a woman, a different strategy from the past board elections was critical. Margaret Behm (former NBA Board member), Lew Conner, and Juliet—who agreed with some trepidation, to put her name forward—met over drinks and developed the strategy. According to Margaret and Juliet, Lew’s support was crucial. Lew, Margaret, and Juliet contacted the board members and built a consensus that Juliet’s unique communication skills, intelligence, and “get it done” reputation made her the right choice to lead the NBA in 1987.

The person elected to serve as president in 1987 was important for two reasons. In 1986, the board created the position of NBA Executive Director, and the new president was central to defining that role and the reorganization of the NBA. Additionally, the Tennessee Supreme Court mandated 12 hours of CLE, which presented an opportunity for the NBA to expand its membership to include the growing and diverse number of attorneys graduating from law school. The election strategy worked. As predicted, Juliet was perfect for the job.

Juliet recently commented, “I felt no resistance from the NBA and was fully supported as I worked with the bar and board to meet the challenges. I am especially proud that my election paved the way for more women to be elected as future NBA board members and presidents.”

In January 1995, Juliet continued with her record of firsts when she was sworn in as the first woman US Magistrate judge in Tennessee—this was especially meaningful as this occurred in the 75th year after Tennessee provided the necessary vote to ratify the 19th Amendment. Juliet’s legal accomplishments were foreshadowed by her community involvement as a charter member of the Tennessee State Employees Association when she was employed as a public welfare worker, and later, when she played a key role in opening up the downtown YMCA to women.

Juliet grew up in Nashville, and graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio and the University of Tennessee Law School, where she was the editor-inchief of the Law Review and Order of the Coif. Juliet later clerked for US District Judge Thomas A. Wiseman, Jr., as well as worked at Legal Services of Middle Tennessee. At Legal Services, Juliet practiced family law for five years and made a difference for clients struggling with poverty and their accompanying legal issues. In 1985, Juliet became Clerk of the US District Court where she stayed until she was appointed a Magistrate Judge, a position she held until she retired in 2015. n

MARY E. WALKER is a retired attorney and social worker. She currently serves on the Renewal House Board, A Step Ahead Foundation, and is a tutor for Project Transformation. Mary was previously an attorney with Legal Services of Middle TN, an Assistant Attorney General, part of the Vanderbilt Legal Clinic faculty, and more. She also served on the NBA Board of Directors, is past president of the LAW, and served on various community nonprofit boards. She is a graduate of University of Tennessee.

women in the law at Vanderbilt. The first set I had included reproductions of all six volumes. However, Susan B. Anthony died in 1906, and it took another 14 years to finish the deal, so to speak. After the amendment was ratified, some of her colleagues finished the last two volumes. I later found out that the first edition of the first four volumes, signed by Susan B. Anthony before her death, were available through an autograph dealer in New York City, who used to run ads on the back page of the New York Times Book Review every Sunday. I could not get on the phone fast enough. I think he wanted $375 for the books, which wasn’t even $100 a volume. I sold the six-volume reproduction set for about that same amount of money and bought the real thing. I have cherished them, of course, ever since, and they are in my office. When new law clerks come in, one of the first things we do is take the newbies into chambers to see the books. I tell them that, in the event of an emergency, if there’s a dog around, save the dog first, but the next most important thing is that four-volume set of books! They are simply splendid!

MB: Speaking of dogs, you have named your dogs after suffragists! Which names did you choose and why?

JCD: I always have believed in giving dogs proper names, but my friend Mary Schaffner came up with the first suffrage name. I told her I was going to name my new puppy “Cornelia,” and Mary said, “You can call her Cornelia, but I’m going to call her Alice Paul.” So, I named my dog Alice Paul. After Alice, I had Susan B., or “Susie.” Then, there was Elizabeth Cady Stanton, called “Lizzie.” I even had a boy dog named for Harry Burn at one point. Currently, I have “Annie,” named for local suffragist Anne Dallas Dudley.

MB: What is your view about the progress of women’s equality over the past 100 years? Where do you see women’s fight for equality in the future?

JCD: I’ve lived long enough to see a lot of change; no question about that. But there is, I think—most people think—a way yet to go. When the movement came back to life 50 years ago, women were making 59 cents to every dollar that a man made, and we still haven’t narrowed that gap completely. But I think we will continue to make progress. I wish we could get the ERA passed, and there is a renewed effort to see that done, which pleases me since I was right in the middle of it back in the day. n

HON. MARTHA CRAIG

“CISSY” DAUGHTREY is a Senior Judge of the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Her career reflects a series of “firsts,” including being the first woman to sit on a Tennessee court of record and serving as the first woman justice of the Tennessee Supreme Court.

MARGARET BEHM is a trailblazer who started Nashville’s first all-woman law firm. A partner at Dodson, Parker, Behm & Capparella, she has spent her career working to break the glass ceiling and create opportunities for other women to do the same.

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