FEDERAL OFFICIALS

The Junior League of Bangor, Maine

The Junior League of Denver, CO

The Junior League of the City of New York

Causes/Issue Area(s): national parks, public works, public service

Honors/Achievements: First woman elected to Congress from New York

Being a woman in Congress today is no longer news. In the 112^th Congress, for example, 76 women occupied seats in the House of Representatives out of a total of 435 voting members, and 17 women served in the Senate. Not exactly even, but substantial.

It wasn’t anything like that in 1928, when Ruth Sears Baker Pratt was elected to serve  two terms in the House of Representatives from the wealthy “Silk Stocking District” in Manhattan.

Serving in Congress was the culmination of a legacy of public service that began in 1917 when the U.S. entered World War I and Ruth chaired the city’s Woman’s Liberty Loan Committee, which sold bonds to support the war effort.

In 1918, she appeared on the national scene through an appointment as Vice-chair to a major committee within the Republican Party. In 1925, she was elected as the first woman on New York City’s Board of Aldermen, now called the City Council, where she supported major infrastructure projects to support the city’s growth, including a parks commission, tunnels under the East River, and the building of the Triborough Bridge.

In Washington, she was soon in the midst of tumultuous change. She favored repeal of the 18th Amendment and its ban on alcohol, but was not able to persuade her Republican colleagues to back the initiative. As the Depression deepened, she continued to support President Herbert Hoover and even seconded his re-nomination at the 1932 Republican National Convention. Her political career, like Hoover’s, didn’t survive that election.

Even so, Ruth remained active. She was a force in the effort to reshape the Republican Party after its losses in the 1932 Presidential election and the Congressional elections that followed in 1934. She was also the chair of the organization now known as the National Endowment for the Humanities and later served as president of the Women’s National Republican Club.

The Junior League of Dallas, TX

The Junior League of Phoenix

Sandra Day O'Connor (March 26, 1930 - December 1, 2023) holds a revered place in American history as the first woman to serve as a U.S. Supreme Court justice from 1981 to 2006. Beyond her groundbreaking judicial career, Sandra was an esteemed member and Past President of The Junior League of Phoenix, Arizona. 

Recognized for her exceptional commitment to community service, Sandra received the 1998 Association of Junior Leagues International Mary Harriman Community Leadership Award, highlighting her dedication to bringing greater quality to the lives of others. Her legacy within the Junior League family is marked by a passion for advocacy and a profound impact on the lives she touched. 

In addition to her legal accomplishments, Sandra Day O'Connor served as a beacon of inspiration, embodying the values of justice, equality, and public service. Her trailblazing journey and impactful contributions continue to inspire Junior League members to lead with purpose and make a positive difference in their communities. 

May Sandra's enduring legacy serve as a guiding light, inspiring generations of Junior League members to strive for excellence in both service and leadership. 

Causes/Issue Area(s): Public Service, Constitutional Law

Honors/Achievements: First female Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009

It may be difficult for women who weren’t there at the time to understand, but Sandra Day O’Connor’s swearing in as a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States 30 years ago was a very big deal.

The first woman to serve on the Court, she was widely acknowledged during her 25-year tenure as a careful and thoughtful jurist who ruled on many of the most important legal issues of her time.

Even before spending a quarter of a century on the Supreme Court, however, the former Junior League of Phoenix President led a life of public service.

Born and raised on a cattle ranch in Arizona, an experience she chronicled in a book she wrote with her brother, Lazy B: Growing up on a Cattle Ranch in the American Southwest in 2003, she graduated from Stanford Law School, where she served on the Stanford Law Review. Unable to find a job with a law firm in California, she became a county prosecutor.

She entered Arizona politics, first as Assistant Attorney General and later as a member of the Arizona State Senate, later becoming the first female majority leader in a state legislature.

In 1981, after serving on the Arizona Court of Appeals, she was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan, making her the last Supreme Court Justice to have started out in politics.

Nearly 30 years later, in 2009, Justice O’Connor was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States, by President Barack Obama. It was a fitting capstone on a fruitful life in public service.

Justice O'Connor’s other commitments have included serving as Chancellor of The College of William & Mary and as a trustee of The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

The Junior League of Huntington, WV

The Junior League of Sacramento, CA

The Junior League of Rockford, IL

The Junior League of the City of New York, NY

The Junior League of Houston, TX

The Junior League of Greensboro, NC

The Junior League of the City of New York, NY

The Junior League of Jacksonville, FL

The Junior League of Honolulu, HI

The Junior League of Palo Alto, CA

The Junior League of Seattle, WA

The Junior League of Indianapolis

U.S. House of Representatives

The Junior League of Cleveland

A Voice for Moderation in National Politics

Causes/Issue Area(s): public service

Honors/Achievements: Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives

Judy Biggert’s pre-politics profile looks like that of a lot of other Junior Leaguers: married with four children, member and then President of the Junior League of Chicago, President of the Chicago Junior Board of the Traveler's Aid Society; member and then president of her children’s school board.

Then she got into politics.

Judy served in the Illinois House from 1992 to 1998, including a stint as assistant Republican leader of the House. In 1998, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and served until 2013.

Her interests can be tracked by her committee assignments in Congress:

• Committee on Education and the Workforce
  • Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education
  • Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training

• Committee on Financial Services
  • Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government-Sponsored Enterprises
  • Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity

• Committee on Science, Space and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Environment
  • Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation

In keeping with her claim of being "the mainstream Republican," Judy has not been afraid to break with some in her party on controversial issues like the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act. The Washington Post once noted, “Biggert primarily focuses on education and labor, regularly working on largely non-controversial legislation in these areas, like a bill barring employers and health insurers from discrimination against people who have costly diseases revealed through genetic testing and another expanding funding for education for the homeless.”

Presidential appointment to the United States Tax Court

Appointed 2014 for a 15-year term

A 15-year veteran of the Junior League of Northern Virginia and a member of AJLI’s Governance Committee from 2011 to 2013, Tamara Ashford has made a career in the tricky trade of tax law. She’s stacked up degrees from Duke, Vanderbilt, and the University of Miami School of Law, positions at prestigious law firms as well as at the Internal Revenue Service, a clerkship on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, and a stint as Acting Assistant Attorney General in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Her latest achievement? A presidential appointment to the United States Tax Court.

How do you describe your new job to people outside the world of tax law? 

As a presidentially appointed judge on the U.S. Tax Court, I decide cases between taxpayers and the Internal Revenue Service. The court was created by Congress in Article I of the U.S. Constitution as a forum where taxpayers can come to dispute claims made against them by the IRS. Considered nonpartisan, my appointment is for a 15-year term and is up for reappointment in 2029. I am one of 18 judges in a 19-judge court; there is currently one vacancy. To be reappointed I will again complete the approval process.

What makes this venue unique from other tax courts?

When the Commissioner of Internal Revenue Service has determined a tax deficiency, a taxpayer may dispute it in the Tax Court, which is the only federal court where this can be done before any tax is paid. There can be one dollar at stake or millions of dollars at stake and the matters at issue can include income taxes, estate taxes, and liens and levies, among others. As much as 70 percent of the entire regular docket heard in a trial session consists of individuals representing themselves. All they have to do is pay a filing fee.

How did you become a judge? What was your inspiration?

In 1997 I arrived in D.C. to work in the Appellate Section of the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. I was a young attorney, appealing before judges, and this sparked my interest in becoming a judge myself. I thought I had the mindset and the temperament to be an independent arbiter. I love what I’m doing.

Describe the nomination process.

When the vacancy opened up in October 2012, and I was nominated in September 2013, I was the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General—a position to which I was appointed by Attorney General Eric Holder— as well as the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Appellate and Review and Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Policy and Planning in the Tax Division for the Department of Justice. Around February 2013 a mentor and co-worker who headed the department joined with other colleagues to float my name over to the White House Counsel’s Office for consideration. I had a series of interviews with folks at Treasury and with the Office of Presidential Personnel at the White House, which initially vets all political appointments government-wide. I guess everyone liked what they heard. Then I remember getting a call from Presidential Personnel when walking up to the Grand Hyatt for AJLI’s Annual Conference in May of 2013. I was told I was the potential nominee but that I had to keep it quiet. I then moved into the next phase—formal vetting by the White House Counsel’s Office. With the assistance of the FBI, they talk to people you know and examine your finances, your tax returns, published writings and speeches, and your memberships and offices in all sectors.

What was it like to be hired by the President?

When the nomination was announced publicly by the President in September of 2013, I was unbelievably humbled and honored to fill the vacancy. Confirmed by the Senate in November of 2014, I’m the first African-American woman judge among the five women who are active. There is one male African-American judge now in his second term.

What is a typical day in the life of Judge Ashford?

If I am in chambers—my office—in Washington, D.C., I am prepping for trials, issuing pre-trial motions such as orders of discovery or status reports, compelling uncooperative taxpayers to turn over documents, or issuing bench opinions. If I’m traveling—in a trial session—I am presiding over as many as 50 cases over the course of a week in one of 75 cities nationwide; the cities are selected to lessen the burden of travel upon the consumer and the year is divided into three terms: Fall, Winter and Spring. Some cases are settled prior to trial; some are continued in a subsequent session; others are dismissed.

How do you take things on the road?

In advance of the trial session, in a trunk like a footlocker, all of the papers and files that pertain to the cases that will be heard are shipped ahead to the courthouse where we will hold the session. My judicial robe is shipped in the trunk as well, although there have been a few times, because of timing, that I have had to carry it in a Nordstrom garment bag(!). My robe is a pretty standard one—no colored stripes down the sleeves— but starting in the Fall, I might fancy myself and don a white lace collar!

How do you approach a trial?

I’m particularly sensitive to the many self-represented taxpayers who appear before me/the Court. In my opening remarks at the calendar call, I like to explain the purpose of a trial and what I’d like petitioners to tell me when their case is called, as well as acknowledge the pro bono lawyers. Then at trial, I like to explain for petitioners how things will proceed, including testimony and cross-examination. Often many of the cases are settled before they get to court.

What are the attributes you bring to your post?

Part of the delicacy of being a judge is not to show favor to either party. Often a taxpayer’s experience in dealing with the IRS has been confusing and not pleasant. They may not perceive that their case can be adjudicated fairly and they may be scared; it may be the first time the parties are talking to one another. In pro se cases, where taxpayers represent themselves, they don’t necessarily understand the process or the system and so I have to try to help them without showing favor or opposition.

Are there any perks to the job?

My travel schedule this year will take me to Los Angeles, New Orleans, Atlanta, Boston, Milwaukee, Albuquerque and elsewhere. This gives me a chance to visit other AJLI Governance Committee members.

How do you think The Junior League is known today?

We are a cadre of trained volunteers whom folks in the community rely on when looking to get something done. We know the community, we can investigate, we can help shape the solution.

I owe much of my professional success up to this point to competencies and skills I amassed in The Junior League. I have to be an independent adjudicator, I have to hear disputes expeditiously and make good decisions.

How do you draw upon your experience in The Junior League in your day job?

Preparedness comes to mind. I do believe I owe much of my professional success up to this point to competencies and skills I amassed in The Junior League. There are many common threads between the two. I have to be an independent adjudicator, I have to hear disputes expeditiously and make good decisions. As a committee chair and all the way through to serving as President from 2008 to 2009 of the Northern Virginia League, I learned what it takes to develop and build something from the ground up. In this case it was a children’s museum (that ultimately became a children’s science center), which required raising capital ($250,000) and engaging volunteers (2,500 hours). I learned how to network, make good decisions, conduct wise dialogue, be inclusive, and educate those who questioned a pledge made years prior about why our community needed the center.

What was it like to serve on the Governance Committee?

It was great to be present in the early stages of the strategic planning process during my term as an At-Large Member from 2011 to 2013. We recognized that we needed to change if we are to continue to be relevant worldwide. Our work is not done. At the international level, at the Association level, and on the Board, we must look inward at our practices or otherwise be extinct.

Reposted from connected, originally published July 2015.