At five years old, Julie Robinson already knew she wanted to be an attorney. However, as she completed law school, she never thought she’d be a judge.
“That wasn’t even in my mind, my frame of reference,” said Robinson.
As a 5-year-old, at least she had a few role models. She’d met a few Black lawyers while growing up in Wichita. But it wasn’t until she was a law student that she met her first Black judge, something that was a rarity at that time.
Straight out of law school, she became a law clerk for Judge Benjamin Franklin, a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge and an African American. At the time, he was the only Black federal judge in Kansas.
As her father encouraged her at 5 years old, Judge Franklin stepped into that role in Robinson’s adulthood.
“He was someone who taught me so much about life and the practice of law and litigation,” Robinson said. “He started talking about me trying to develop my career in a way that I could replace him when he retired” and told her a path she should follow.
“He planted the seed during my first few years out of law school, but I don’t think I was convinced it would happen,” Robinson said.
He laid out a path he suggested she follow. While she didn’t completely follow it, she did get appointed to fill his position in 1994.
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Male Domination
While women’s equality had come a long way by the 1980s, the field of law was still dominated by men.
After her two-year clerkship with Judge Franklin, she joined the U.S Attorney’s Office. It was a demanding job, with expectations that associates would work long and hard hours – especially if they aspired to move up.
Robinson, by then a mother of a young child, said the men in the office didn’t understand the extra demands she and the few other women in the office had on their plate.
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“It was hard being a woman, having little children and being a trial lawyer,” says Robinson, “but women in my generation, we felt like we couldn’t push back too much.”
They knew they were being watched and the overwhelming feeling was women weren’t cut out for the job. But she and her female coworkers “toughened up and powered through.”
They thought, if they failed, what would it mean to women coming behind them?
“You know, I think as a consequence it has helped other women,” says Robinson.
Her point is similar to one made by Missouri Supreme Court Justice Robin Ransom, who is the first Black female appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court.
“I always say that it’s OK to be the first; you just want to make sure you’re not the last,” said Ransom. “I don’t care what it is, be it your gender or your race, you want to go in and knock it out of the park and do the best that you can, so the doors remain open for others to come behind you.”
The Judiciary
Judge Robinson was 37 when she was appointed to replace her mentor Judge Franklin, who had died unexpectedly. Her opportunity had come much earlier than she expected and her children were just 3- and 8-years-old.
Judge Robinson says her elevation to the judiciary had a positive impact on her life because she then had control over her schedule – compared to the 11 years she spent in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, where she had no control. While it’s not a perfect correlation, it was like moving from worker bee to boss.
Because of her experience as a mom, and a single one for many of those years, Judge Robinson says she strives to be more considerate of the situations of others – both the legal team and the defendants who appear in her court.
“I think I’ve been the kind of judge that’s much more compassionate about circumstances because I get it. I know how hard it is to be a young mother/father, to have all these competing things you’re trying to manage.”
But Robinson says she also tries to show the same amount of compassion and empathy for the defendants, particularly when it comes to sentencing, which she describes as the hardest thing she has to do.
More than just looking at what the person did, she says she takes a look at who the person is and their circumstance. It’s important to get sentencing right, she says, because most of these individuals are going to come back to the community.
Her approach is to look at the whole person/situation; what the person did and what the person needs to come back well and be able to succeed in the community.
“It’s a decision that’s important for the defendant and for the community,” said Judge Robinson.
U.S. District Court
In 2001 President George W. Bush nominated Judge Robinson to the U.S. District Court, Kansas District.
Her appointment was still a rarity – both as a woman and an African American. During his presidency, Bush only nominated 10 Black judges to the bench and only two of them were women. Compare that to Pres. Joe Biden: Through 2023, he’s appointed 21 Black judges, 7 of them men and 14 women.
The change can also be reflected in the courts in Kansas City and Wichita. In most courts, the number of female judges is usually equal to or greater than the number of male judges. As for African Americans, female judges outnumber the males by almost four to one.
In Kansas, Judge Robinson is still the only Black U.S. District Court judge. While federal judges are appointed for life, Robinson has cut back her caseload and taken on what’s called Senior Status. While she doesn’t plan on stepping away totally anytime soon, she’s still concerned – like her mentor Franklin was – about grooming someone to take her place.
So far, the most ideal candidate would be U.S. Magistrate Gwynne Birzer, in Wichita. However, a big concern would be who is president when she decides to step down. If Donald Trump is reelected, his previous record indicates Judge Robinson’s replacement will probably not be Black or a women. During his four years in office, Trump only appointed 12 Black district court judges and only two were women.
Her Advice to Others
“You never can dream big enough, sometimes. You can be overly confident and cocky as a kid, yet you still never really know all that’s in store for you. You just need to make sure that you’re ready, and positioned and able and willing to accept all that comes your way.”
