Abby Abinanti
Abby Abinanti | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1947 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, Judge |
| Known for | First Native American woman to practice law in California; Chief Judge of Yurok Tribal Court |
Abby Abinanti (born 1947 in San Francisco, California) holds the distinction of being the first Native American woman to practice law in California.
Early life and education
Abinanti was brought up on the Yurok Indian Reservation and initially pursued journalism at Humboldt State University. She later obtained her Juris Doctor degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law, concentrating on Indian law with an emphasis on family and juvenile dependency matters, guided by the principles of the Indian Child Welfare Act enacted in 1978.
Career
After gaining admission to the State Bar of California in 1974, Abinanti pioneered the inaugural tribal expungement initiative. During the 1990s, she held the position of Commissioner at San Francisco Superior Court's Unified Family Court, retiring in 2011 but returning on a part-time basis between 2014 and 2015 to handle dependency cases.
Since 1997, she has presided as a Judge on the Yurok Tribal Court, ascending to Chief Judge in 2007.