Description
Burnita Shelton Matthews was a District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. She attended night school at what is now George Washington University Law School. She received her degree in 1919 and, after passing the bar exam, began practicing law at her own firm. She remained in private practice until her federal judgeship appointment in 1949. Matthews was closely involved with the National Women’s Party. In this interview, Matthews discusses law school, her legal work, the NWP and the Equal Rights Amendment, and her federal judge appointment.