Patricia Wald

September 16, 1928 — January 19, 2019 — Torrington, Connecticut, United States

Patricia Ann McGowan Wald broke barriers as one of the most influential women in American law, becoming the first female judge—and later the first female chief judge—of the powerful U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1979, she went on to serve as chief judge from 1986 to 1991 before capping her career with an appointment to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Her decades of public service opened doors for generations of women in the legal profession.

Early Life and Education

Patricia Ann McGowan was born on September 16, 1928, in Torrington, Connecticut, and raised by her mother in modest circumstances after her parents divorced. A gifted student, she attended Connecticut College for Women before enrolling at Yale Law School, where she graduated in 1951 as one of only a handful of women in her class. At the time, law firms and courts routinely refused to hire female attorneys, forcing Wald to navigate a profession openly hostile to her presence. She married Robert Wald, a fellow attorney, and took time away from full-time legal practice to raise their five children, working part-time and on freelance legal projects during those years. This period gave her firsthand insight into the barriers facing women who tried to balance careers with family responsibilities, an experience that later informed her advocacy for fairer workplace policies. Despite the interruptions to her career trajectory, she remained deeply engaged in legal work, taking on cases related to mental health law, juvenile justice, and poverty law that showcased her commitment to using the legal system to help vulnerable populations.

Legal Career and Judicial Appointment

Wald built an eclectic and socially conscious legal career before ascending to the federal bench. She worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, served as a consultant on juvenile justice, and became a leading figure at the Mental Health Law Project, where she fought for the rights of psychiatric patients. She also worked at the Center for Law and Social Policy and briefly served in the Carter administration's Justice Department as Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter nominated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, making her the first woman ever to sit on that influential court, often considered second only to the Supreme Court in importance. She quickly earned a reputation for meticulous, well-reasoned opinions on complex administrative and constitutional law matters. In 1986, her colleagues selected her as chief judge, another first for a woman on the D.C. Circuit, a position she held until 1991. During her tenure, she authored hundreds of opinions and became known for her careful attention to regulatory and environmental law cases, cementing her status as one of the most respected appellate judges in the country.

International Justice and Lasting Legacy

After retiring from the D.C. Circuit in 1999, Wald did not slow down. That same year, she was appointed a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, where she served until 2001, helping adjudicate cases involving war crimes and crimes against humanity stemming from the Balkan conflicts. Her work there extended her influence onto the global stage, reinforcing international norms of accountability for atrocities. She later served on the Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction, examining intelligence failures related to the Iraq War. Throughout her career, Wald mentored countless young lawyers, particularly women, and spoke widely about balancing family life with a demanding legal career. She died on January 19, 2019, in Washington, D.C., at age 90. She is remembered as a pioneering jurist whose career expanded the possibilities for women in law and whose rigorous, humane approach to judging left a lasting imprint on American and international jurisprudence.