Mercedes Deiz

Mercedes Deiz (December 13, 1917 – October 5, 2005)[1] was an American lawyer. She became the first black woman to practice law in Oregon, and was also the first black woman to serve as a district court judge and the first to be elected as a County Circuit Court judge. During her life and legal career, she was renowned for her sense of community and for her tireless contribution to the legal profession. She left behind a legacy of mentoring and service that others continue to aspire to.

Early Years

The oldest of ten children, Mercedes Diez (born Mercedes Francis Lopez)[2] was born in New York in 1917 to Czechoslovakian and Cuban parents.[2] Raised in a poor family, she credited her parents’ pushing her to spend time at the library and visiting the city museums for her intellectual development.[2] She credited her father, particularly, for “insist[ing] that each of his kids be unique to the best of our abilities.”[3] Deiz graduated high school at age 16, and worked as a maid, theater usher, switchboard operator and ticket clerk, and attended Hunter College in New York City.[2] After moving to Portland, Oregon in 1948, she would receive her law degree while studying evenings at the Northwestern School of Law, while working as a legal assistant during the day.[3] Before she entered law school, she was active in Portland’s Urban League and the NAACP, partially as a result of her experiences with discriminatory practices by her employers.

Legal career

Mercedes Deiz was admitted to the Oregon bar in 1960 as the first black woman with that honor.[2] Some historical sources list Beatrice Morrow Cannady as the first black woman to practice law in Oregon; however, Cannady never passed the bar examination, having failed on five separate occasions.[4] Mercedes Deiz worked as a litigator for several years, and also as an administrative law judge for worker’s compensation disputes.[5] Deiz would also become the first black female district court judge in Oregon after she was appointed by Governor Tom McCall in 1969.[2] In 1972, she became the first black woman to be elected as a County Circuit Court judge in Oregon, defeating seven other male candidates.[2]

Lifetime of Service

It was her strong work ethic and sense of justice that drove her to such great achievement and to such great service for the community.[2] Beginning in 1993, and in recognition of her service and impact on the legal profession, Oregon Women Lawyers, which represents women and minorities in the legal profession,[6] has bestowed the Judge Mercedes Deiz Award upon “an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to promoting minorities in the legal profession and in the community.”[7] When she died in 2005, she was praised for her life of dedicated public service, and for her “legendary” mentoring of young lawyers.[7] It was said of Judge Deiz that nearly “every African-American lawyer who entered practice between 1970 and 1992 sat with Judge Deiz in her chambers, receiving a few hours or more of private tutoring in career development.”[3] Judge Deiz was also posthumously honored for her life and contributions to the State of Oregon and the legal profession by a joint resolution of the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 2007.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Collins, Cliff (December 2005). "A Life of Firsts: Mercedes Deiz Was a Trailblazer by Choice". Oregon State Bar Bulletin 66: 29. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Collins 2005, p. 29
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Collins 2005, p. 30
  4. ↑ Collins 2005, footnote a1
  5. ↑ "Multnomah Bar Association Newsletter". Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  6. ↑ ""Who We Are": Oregon Women Lawyers Website". Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 ""Roberts and Deiz Award Recipients": Oregon Women Lawyers website". Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  8. ↑ "Senate Concurrent Resolution 15, 74th Oregon Legislative Assembly--2007 Regular Session". Retrieved 23 April 2013.

References