Karla M. Gray
Encyclopedia
Karla M. Gray is an American
attorney and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
; she was the first woman elected to that position.
Gray was born in Escanaba, Michigan
. She attended Western Michigan University
in Kalamazoo
from 1965-1970, earning a B.A. and an M.A. in African history. She then moved to California, working as a clerk matron at the Mountain View
Police Department. She received a J.D.
in 1976 from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, where she was an editor of the Hastings Law Review. After law school, she moved to Butte, Montana
, where she served as a law clerk
for Senior United States District Court
Judge W.D. Murray.
After her clerkship ended in 1977, Gray practiced law
as in-house corporate counsel and in a solo practice. During the 1980s, she was a lobbyist at the Montana Legislature, representing the power industry and trial lawyers.
Governor Stan Stephens
appointed Gray as an Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court in 1991, following the resignation of Diane G. Barz. Barz had been the first woman to serve on the court; Gray then became the second. Gray won election as an Associate Justice in 1992 and again in 1998. She subsequently became the first woman to be elected Chief Justice in 2000, defeating fellow sitting Justice Terry N. Trieweiler by 8,800 votes out of approximately 387,000 cast. Justice Gray retired from the bench in 2008.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
attorney and judge who served as the Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
Montana Supreme Court
The Montana Supreme Court is the highest court of the Montana state court system in the U.S. state of Montana. It is established and its powers defined by Article VII of the 1972 Montana Constitution...
; she was the first woman elected to that position.
Gray was born in Escanaba, Michigan
Escanaba, Michigan
Escanaba is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, located in the banana belt on the state's Upper Peninsula. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 13,140, making it the third-largest city in the Upper Peninsula after Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie...
. She attended Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University
Western Michigan University is a public university located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States. The university was established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo, and as of the Fall 2010 semester, its enrollment is 25,045....
in Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo, Michigan
The area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
from 1965-1970, earning a B.A. and an M.A. in African history. She then moved to California, working as a clerk matron at the Mountain View
Mountain View, California
-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
Police Department. She received a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
in 1976 from Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco, where she was an editor of the Hastings Law Review. After law school, she moved to Butte, Montana
Butte, Montana
Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...
, where she served as a law clerk
Law clerk
A law clerk or a judicial clerk is a person who provides assistance to a judge in researching issues before the court and in writing opinions. Law clerks are not court clerks or courtroom deputies, who are administrative staff for the court. Most law clerks are recent law school graduates who...
for Senior United States District Court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
Judge W.D. Murray.
After her clerkship ended in 1977, Gray practiced law
Practice of law
In its most general sense, the practice of law involves giving legal advice to clients, drafting legal documents for clients, and representing clients in legal negotiations and court proceedings such as lawsuits, and is applied to the professional services of a lawyer or attorney at law, barrister,...
as in-house corporate counsel and in a solo practice. During the 1980s, she was a lobbyist at the Montana Legislature, representing the power industry and trial lawyers.
Governor Stan Stephens
Stan Stephens
Stanley Graham Stephens is an American politician.Stephens was the 20th Governor of Montana from 1989 until 1993. He did not run for reelection in 1992 because of health reasons.Source:...
appointed Gray as an Associate Justice of the Montana Supreme Court in 1991, following the resignation of Diane G. Barz. Barz had been the first woman to serve on the court; Gray then became the second. Gray won election as an Associate Justice in 1992 and again in 1998. She subsequently became the first woman to be elected Chief Justice in 2000, defeating fellow sitting Justice Terry N. Trieweiler by 8,800 votes out of approximately 387,000 cast. Justice Gray retired from the bench in 2008.