Vanzetta Penn McPherson

Vanzetta Penn McPherson (born May 26, 1947)[1] is an African American woman who served as a United States magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama.

Vanzetta Penn McPherson

Honorable
U.S. Magistrate Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama
In office
1992–2006
Personal details
Born (1947-05-26) May 26, 1947
Montgomery, Alabama
Spouse(s)Thomas McPherson Jr.
EducationHoward University, (B.A.) 1969
Columbia University (M.A.), 1971;
Columbia University Law School (J.D.), 1974
OccupationJudge and lawyer
Known forCivil Rights, employment discrimination, First Amendment

Education

McPherson received her Bachelor of Arts in speech pathology and audiology from Howard University in 1969, her Master of Arts in 1971 from Columbia University, and her Juris Doctor, also from Columbia, in 1974.[2]

McPherson began practicing law as an associate at Hughes Hubbard & Reed, a Wall Street law firm. She stayed there until 1975, when she became an assistant attorney general for the State of Alabama. In 1978, McPherson began practicing law in Montgomery, focusing on family and constitutional law.[2] As a lawyer and a judge, she was noted for her defense of the rights of women and African Americans.[3]

Federal judicial service

She was appointed United States magistrate judge for the Middle District of Alabama in 1992 and was re-appointed in 2000; she retired from the bench in 2006.[2]

Awards

McPherson has received awards for her public service and leadership from several organization, including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Women of Distinction, South Central Alabama Girl Scout Council, and Delta Sigma Theta sorority.[2]

References
  1. "Judge Vanzetta Penn McPherson". 2020 Bicentennial Alabama African American History Book Site. 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  2. "The Honorable Vanzetta Penn McPherson | The HistoryMakers". www.thehistorymakers.com. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  3. ""Marching for My Convictions": A Judge Remembers Civil Rights-Era Alabama". AAUW: Empowering Women Since 1881. Retrieved 2017-02-10.


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