The Judge Who Demanded Women Jurors
When a grand jury panel ran dry in Walla Walla, the local judge preferred women to 'scrubby' men.
The Walla Walla grand jury venire being exhausted and the panel not filled, Judge Wingard turned to Sheriff Thompson and ordered that official to bring into court three well-tried and true citizens of Walla Walla or Franklin counties. 'And if you can't get good and reliable men, get good and reliable women. I would much rather have a good woman on the jury than the average tavern bum locked up on a special venire. We have been hampered with too many scrubby jurymen.' Judge Wingard's sensible remarks caused a ripple of excitement in the court room.
“I would much rather have a good woman on the jury than the average tavern bum locked up on a special venire.”
In 1884, Washington Territory was a pioneer in women's suffrage, though the legal right to serve on juries remained a point of civic and judicial contention. This moment reflects a time when Washington was actively debating the expansion of political participation years before the rest of the nation.
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