Rawlinson officially joins top appeals court

Greg Tuttle

Monday, Oct. 30, 2000 | 10:05 a.m.

Amid the praise of her peers and the pride of her family and friends, Johnnie Rawlinson became the newest member of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals at a ceremony in Las Vegas.

With about 200 people in attendance inside UNLV's Artemus Ham Hall on Friday, Rawlinson took the judicial oath and made history as the first black woman to serve on the 9th Circuit, the largest federal appeals court in the nation and only one step removed from the U.S. Supreme Court.

"I am so honored to be here among my colleagues on the 9th Circuit," Rawlinson said at the close of the nearly two-hour ceremony known as an investiture. "I look forward to many intellectual converstations with all of you."

Rawlinson, 47, was recommended for the 9th Circuit by Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and won confirmation this summer. She started her new duties in July and will keep her office at the U.S. District Courthouse in Las Vegas.

Rawlinson graduated from McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento in 1979 and then worked for 17 years in the Clark County district attorney's office. In 1998 Rawlinson was appointed to serve as a U.S. District Court Judge in Nevada, the first black woman in the state's history to fill that position.

Fellow judges praised her legal expertise and hard work during the ceremony Friday.

"I know that the future of our system of justice is brighter for you are a part of it," Chief U.S. District Judge Howard McKibben said.