Betty Binns Fletcher

Betty Binns Fletcher (born March 29, 1923) is an American lawyer and judge. She has served as a federal judge on the San Francisco-based United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit since 1979.

Early life and education

Born in Tacoma, Washington, Fletcher attended Stanford University and graduated with a B.A. the age of 19 in 1942, having completed one year of her law degree in addition to her bachelor's degree. More than a decade later, she resumed her law education at the University of Washington School of Law, where she finished among the top of her class in 1956.

Private practice

She was in private practice in Seattle, Washington, from 1956 to 1979. As a practicing lawyer, Fletcher earned a reputation for pragmatism. When she was made a partner at Preston Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates) she became the first woman to become a partner at a major Pacific Northwest law firm. Fletcher's clients included former Supreme Court Associate Justice William O. Douglas. She was instrumental in expanding the firm's presence in Asia.

Fletcher is an active member of the Washington State Bar Association and from 1972-1973 served as the first female president of the King County Bar Association in Seattle.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals

Fletcher was nominated by President Jimmy Carter on July 12, 1979, to a new seat on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, created by 92 Stat. 1629. She was confirmed by the Senate on September 26, 1979, and received her commission the same day.

On the bench, Fletcher has written opinions in areas such as employment discrimination, environmental law, Indian law, water rights, export restrictions on cryptography, obscenity on the internet, and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Fletcher took senior status on November 1, 1998, after her son William A. Fletcher joined the Ninth Circuit bench.

Sources

• Betty Binns Fletcher at the Biographical Directory of Federal Judges, a public domain publication of the Federal Judicial Center.