Selma Moidel Smith died Friday at the age of 106. She became a member of the California bar over 82 years ago, in January 1943.
Selma’s was a remarkable life, with a display of many and varied talents. Former Justice Kathryn Werdegar wrote in 2019, “Selma is one of the most ubiquitous, treasured, talented, tireless and accomplished attorneys any of us could ever know.”
Of relevance to California’s high court, was Selma’s special contributions to the California Supreme Court Historical Society. A long-time member of the board of directors, she took on the demanding jobs of editing both of the Society’s publications — its Journal and its Review (formerly the Newsletter) — and she started the Society’s student writing competition, which is now named for her.
Here’s more about Selma:
Tributes by Justice Werdegar and others here and here
“California Supreme Court Historical Society grant honors Selma Moidel Smith”
Historical Society publishes 17th annual journal, the last to be edited by Selma Moidel Smith
[July 28 update: The Daily Journal has a comprehensive obituary by Ricardo Pineda. It calls Selma “a trailblazing California attorney, legal historian, and composer whose work uplifted generations of women in the law.”]
