Friends and colleagues are remembering Lincoln's first female judge, Jan Gradwohl, as a trailblazer and "fierce advocate" for justice, following her death at the age of 93.
Gradwohl died peacefully at her home in Lincoln on Dec. 27, according to family.
Lancaster County District Judge Jodi Nelson, who knew Gradwohl both professionally and personally, described her as truly an amazing person.
"She was a trailblazer, not only as a woman, but as a person dedicated to and passionate about equality, justice, fairness, human rights and the rule of law," Nelson said.
Gradwohl met her late husband, John Gradwohl, while they were students at the University of Nebraska College of Law in the 1950s and married the day after her final exam, family said in her obituary.
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He went on to be a distinguished law professor there.
Gradwohl's family said her relationship with the University of Nebraska continued throughout her professional career, and that she both empowered and encouraged countless women who hoped to enter the field of law.
"My mother tirelessly and unselfishly created opportunities for women to attend law school and pursue careers in fields enhanced by a legal education," said Jill Schroeder, one of Gradwohl's daughters.
Gradwohl's legacy at UNL was cemented in 2016, when Schroeder's daughter Shannon graduated from the Nebraska College of Law. According to Schroeder, she was recognized alongside Gradwohl and her daughter as the first family to have three generations of female graduates from the University of Nebraska College of Law.
Gradwohl became Lancaster County's first female deputy county attorney, before being appointed the first female judge in Lancaster County in 1974, then just the fourth woman in the state to earn a spot on the bench.
Nelson said over the years the Gradwohls worked together on many projects receiving much acclaim and were "true partners in every sense of the word."
"It is difficult to summarize in a few words what a lasting impact Jan Gradwohl has made," she said. "For those of us who were fortunate enough to have known her know that she was slight in stature but towering in accomplishment."
Nebraska Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Heavican called Gradwohl a wonderful person who was always concerned about the courts.
"And she was a wonderful judge. She was a pioneer,” he said.
As a county court judge, Gradwohl championed judicial system improvement and equal justice and received the American Bar Association Franklin N. Flaschner Award in 1991, which recognizes distinguished service in improving the quality of justice in the United States.
Heavican worked with Gradwohl and her husband in the '90s on one of Gradwohl’s many committees aimed at increasing justice in Lancaster County, the Early Access to Justice Commission. He said he remembers them as active, passionate members who helped move crucial ideas forward.
“Access to justice was kind of a theme she carried out through her legal career,” Heavican said.
To Heavican, her decorated, trailblazing career serves as a solid foundation for the state’s next generation of female judges.
“I’m sure they would say that they’re all standing on the shoulders of Judge Gradwohl.”
Schroeder agrees, and said that the impact of Gradwohl's influence on the lives and careers of other women is "incalculable."
"I'm aware of a long list of students, attorneys and judges who have told me they learned something from their interactions with her that changed the way they viewed an issue or conducted themselves," Schroeder said.
Gradwohl was a founding member of the International Association of Women Judges, served by presidential appointment on the board of directors of the State Justice Institute and chaired the 900-member special courts judicial section of the American Bar Association during her career.
She also was involved in nonpartisan election work in Nebraska, working closely with Civic Nebraska’s nonpartisan election protection and observation program for multiple election cycles during the 2010s.
The group honored her with its “Defender of Democracy Award” in 2015.
Adam Morfeld, executive director and founder of Civic Nebraska, called Gradwohl "Nebraska’s very own 'RBG,'" referring to longtime U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died in 2020.
"Throughout her long and consequential life, Jan was dedicated to equality before the law and justice," Morfeld said in announcing an annual award to honor her passing.
He said the Jan Gradwohl Memorial Defender of Democracy Award will honor a Nebraskan annually whose work strengthens civic life in the state.
To Schroeder, the award is a reflection of how her mother lived her day-to-day life, as well as symbolic of the work she did while serving the state of Nebraska.
"She was inclusive, unafraid of divergent ideas and opinions, and had the strength of character to stand up for people and issues in which she believed."
In their own words: Judges, lawyers, professors discuss diversity in Nebraska's legal community
On Juneteenth, as the country neared Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson's swearing-in as the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, the Journal Star reached out to several people on the bench, in the legal community and at Nebraska's law schools to ask their thoughts about diversity in the state's courtrooms.
We asked what drew them to a career in law; how long they've been working in Nebraska and if they plan to stay; why diversity is important in the judicial system and what can be done to foster diversity in the legal community.
View their answers below.
"I immigrated from a country with little rule of law and it is inspiring every day to be a part of this great country’s system of law and justice."
"We need to help make the journey to law school more accessible for young people. Many people of color or from diverse backgrounds do not have attorneys in their families or broader friend groups."
"Having an awareness that each individual is different and unique based on a culmination of their life experiences is the foundation of equity and fairness."
"One thing that will improve diversity among attorneys and judges here in Nebraska is to try to retain the diverse law students that attend Nebraska law schools."
"No matter who you are, we need lawyers and judges in our communities who look like you or share your life experiences."
"Bringing diversity of skills and experiences to any endeavor can result in a better end-product, whether it is the skill sets needed to build a house or a judicial system."
"In order to apply the law in the most equitable fashion possible, the judicial system must incorporate the varied perspectives of all of its constituents."
Reach Landon Wirt at lwirt@journalstar.com or 402-473-7326.
Or Lori Pilger at 402-473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com.
On Twitter @LJSpilger