Opening the doors

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For a few years after Barbara B. Crabb became a federal judge, she often faced a question when attending judicial conferences: “Whose secretary are you?”

It never bothered her much. By then, she’d become used to blazing trails after being appointed in 1979. Among them: Crabb was the first woman appointed as a federal magistrate judge and later the first female district judge; she was the first female chief judge in the district; and she was the first woman district judge to sit by designation on the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.

Crabb applied to law school in the early 1960s, following in the footsteps of her attorney father, but also because she’d been captivated by a pair of pre-law classes taught by law-school faculty.

“I was at law school at a marvelous time,” she said, noting that she was among the three women students in her class. “I’d heard rumors about professors who were quite unpleasant to women and treated them as if it were ridiculous that they were there. I didn’t run into any of that.”

Her pre-bench experience was diverse: private practice, legal services and then academia before becoming a magistrate judge. The magistrate judgeship was new at the time and expanded rapidly in the duties she had over her six years in the role.

After 31 years on the bench, she took senior status in January 2010 but still carries a full docket.

Reflecting back on those years, she said the treaty rights cases and matters that affected large groups, such as prisoners or municipal employees, were the most memorable.

Throughout that time, she has enjoyed any case where the people involved managed to inject a little humor into their situations. She has also relished the juror contact: “It’s so interesting and revealing to hear what people’s concerns and worries are — just to learn about what people read and do, what keeps them up at night, and what interests them.”

It’s additionally been gratifying to see more women in the courtroom: attorneys, clerks of court, deputy marshals, court reporters, expert witnesses, etc.

Looking ahead for women — and men — in the law, she said the next most pressing challenge is “to figure out how to have a good relationship and raise a family, while still working as many hours as they need to.”