By Staff
from staff reports
Brewton native Sharon Lovelace Blackburn is the new chief judge for Alabama's Northern District.
Blackburn, 56, was the first female federal judge in the state. She took over as chief judge Monday from Judge U.W. Clemon, according to the Birmingham News.
The Northern District includes 31 counties and has eight active judges, four senior judges and five magistrate judges.
Blackburn was appointed a judge in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush, according to the News.
U.S. District Judge Sharon Lovelace Blackburn, the first female federal judge in the state, is the new chief judge for Alabama's Northern District.
The new position includes administrative functions such as personnel.
When Blackburn joined the bench, according to the News, only 83 of 829 judges with lifetime appointments were women. There are now 202 female judges with lifetime appointments - four in the Northern District.
A 1968 graduate of T.R. Miller High School, Blackburn is the daughter of B.F. and Barbara Lovelace. She is a 1973 graduate of the University of Alabama and a 1977 graduate of Cumberland School of Law. Before becoming a judge she served as a federal prosecutor and assistant U.S. attorney and was a staff attorney for Birmingham Area Legal Services.