Longtime D.C. Superior Court Judge Sylvia Bacon Dies at 91

Sylvia A. Bacon, a trailblazing attorney and judge who rose to become the highest-ranking woman in any U.S. attorney’s office, died on April 29 at her home in Washington. She was 91 years old. The cause of death was pulmonary fibrosis, according to her cousin Sara Kambestad.

Bacon received her law degree from Harvard University in 1956, not long after the school admitted its first female law students. She began her career as an assistant U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C., and in 1969 was appointed to oversee the office’s management, administration, legislative affairs, and public relations. At the time, she was the highest-ranking woman in any of the country’s 94 U.S. attorney’s offices.

In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon nominated Bacon to the newly established D.C. Superior Court, where she served for 21 years. She presided over cases involving civil, criminal, juvenile, and family law, among other fields, and became known as “one of the court’s ablest and hardest-working judges,” according to The Washington Post.

During her tenure, Bacon handled many high-profile cases, including a long-running lawsuit in the 1980s in which gay student groups at Georgetown University demanded that the school grant them the same privileges extended to other student organizations. The university, which is Catholic, had previously denied the groups financing and recognition on the grounds of religious freedom. The case ended with a settlement in 1988, in which the university allowed the groups access to campus facilities and university funds but did not “endorse” their activities.

Bacon was repeatedly floated as a possible nominee for the D.C. Court of Appeals and was considered at least twice — in 1971, during the Nixon administration, and in 1981, under President Ronald Reagan — for nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Reagan ultimately named Sandra Day O’Connor as the first female Supreme Court justice in 1981.

Bacon retired from the Superior Court in 1991 and went on to serve as a lecturer at Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law and helped train young lawyers through the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. She was widely known for her efforts to promote the careers of women in the law.

Despite her many accomplishments, Bacon faced challenges in her personal life. In 1986, she underwent alcohol treatment after complaints from lawyers about what they described as her erratic conduct in court. The Post reported that she had suffered from pain and depression after breaking both her legs when she was hit by a car and was also struggling with the care of her ailing mother.

Bacon had no immediate survivors. Her legacy as a trailblazing legal professional and tireless advocate for women in the law will be remembered for years to come.