Micheline Rawlins
Born1951
CitizenshipCanada
EducationMcGill University (BA)
University of Windsor (LLB)
OccupationLawyer · judge
Years active1986–1992 (assistant crown attorney)
1992– (judge)

Micheline A. Rawlins (born 1951) is a lawyer and judge in Ontario, Canada. She was the first black woman appointed to the Ontario Court of Justice.[1]

Education and career

She was born in Montreal, Quebec and received a BA from McGill University in 1974 and a LLB from the University of Windsor in 1978.[2] She was called to the Ontario bar in 1982.[1] Rawlins was an assistant Crown Attorney in Kent County from 1986 until she was named to the bench in 1992.[3][2]

Rawlins has served on the board of governors for the University of Windsor.[1] She has also served on the boards for various organizations such as the Girl Guides, the Boy Scouts, Robinson House, the Windsor Urban Alliance and the Windsor Media Council.[3]

In 2002, Justice Rawlins received national media attention for attacking a female lawyer's choice of clothing, and adjourning a case for "lack of counsel" because she objected to the lawyer's attire.[4]

Community contributions

Rawlins was the president of the Chatham Youth Soccer Association from 1990 to 1993 and is also a qualified hockey trainer.[2] She served as the President of the North American Black Historical Museum (2003–07 and of the Association of Black Judges of Michigan.[5]

Honours and awards

Madame Justice Rawlins has received:

  • the North American Black Historical Museum Community Contribution Award in 1994
  • the African-Canadian Achievement Award in Law in 1997
  • the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers Black Judges in Canada Recognition Award in 2000
  • the Congress of Black Women of Canada Outstanding Contribution to Women, to Law and to Canada Award in 2002

In 2004, she was named Windsor Woman of the Year.[3]

The Loop named her in its list of 10 amazing Canadian women who deserve to be on a 100-dollar bill.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Diversifying the bar: lawyers make history". Law Society of Upper Canada.
  2. 1 2 3 Williams, Dawn P. (2002). Who's who in Black Canada : Black success and Black excellence in Canada : a contemporary directory, 2002. Toronto, ON: D.P. Williams & Associates. pp. 303–304. ISBN 0973138408. OCLC 52478669.
  3. 1 2 3 "Beyond the Badge: A CBC series on Windsor Police". CBC News Windsor. 2012-10-16.
  4. Oziewicz, Estanislao (2002-03-27). "Lawyer's attire prompts rebuke". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  5. "Micheline Rawlins | 100ABCWomen". 100 ABC Women. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  6. "10 amazing Canadian women who deserve to be on a 100-dollar bill". The Loop. Archived from the original on 2016-11-08. Retrieved 2016-02-02.


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