List of LGBTQ state supreme court justices in the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Below is a list of the names of openly LGBT persons who have served on the highest court of a state or territory in the United States.
The first state with an openly LGBT justice was Oregon, where Rives Kistler was named to the bench in 2003.[1] The first U.S. territory with an openly LGBT justice was Guam, where Benjamin Cruz was appointed in 1997.[2] As of October 31, 2025[update], there are 10 openly LGBT state supreme court justices, serving in 9 states.
In U.S. states
Current
| Order | State | Court | Justice | Ref | Service as justice | As chief justice | Mandatory retirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Colorado | Colorado Supreme Court | Monica Márquez | [3] | 2010–present | 2024–present | 2041 |
| 2 |  Hawaii | Supreme Court of Hawaii | Sabrina McKenna | [4] | 2011–present | – | 2027 |
| 3 |  Connecticut | Connecticut Supreme Court | Andrew J. McDonald | [5] | 2013–present | September 6, 2024–September 30, 2024 | 2036 |
| 4 |  Washington | Washington Supreme Court | Mary Yu | [6] | 2014–present | – | 2032 |
| 5 |  Nevada |
Supreme Court of Nevada | Lidia S. Stiglich | [7] | 2016–present | 2023–2024 | 2024 |
| 6 |  New Mexico |
New Mexico Supreme Court | C. Shannon Bacon | [8] | 2019–present | 2022–2024 | 2026 |
| 7 | Washington | Washington Supreme Court | Helen Whitener | [9] | 2020–present | – | 2039 |
| 8 |  New York | New York State Court of Appeals | Anthony Cannataro | [10] | 2021–present | 2022–2023 | 2035 |
| 9 |  California | Supreme Court of California | Kelli Evans | [11] | 2023–present | – | 2026 |
| 10 |  Massachusetts | Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | Gabrielle Wolohojian | [12] | 2024–present | – | 2030 |
Former
| Order | State | Court | Justice | Ref | Service as justice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Oregon | Oregon Supreme Court | Rives Kistler | [1] | 2003–2018 |
| 2 | Oregon | Oregon Supreme Court | Virginia Linder | [13] | 2007–2016 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | Barbara Lenk | [14] | 2011–2020 |
| 4 | New York | New York State Court of Appeals | Paul Feinman | [15] | 2017–2021 |
| 5 |  Vermont | Vermont Supreme Court | Beth Robinson | [16] | 2011–2021 |
| 6 | Oregon | Oregon Supreme Court | Lynn Nakamoto | [17] | 2016–2021 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court | Elspeth B. Cypher | [18] | 2017–2024 |
| 8 |  Minnesota | Minnesota Supreme Court | Margaret Chutich | [19] | 2016–2024 |
| 9 | California | Supreme Court of California | Martin Jenkins | [20] | 2020–2025 |
In U.S. territories
| Order | Territory | Court | Justice | Ref | Service as justice | As chief justice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Guam | Supreme Court of Guam | Benjamin Cruz | [2] | 1997–2001 | 1999–2001 |
| 2 |  Puerto Rico | Supreme Court of Puerto Rico | Maite Oronoz Rodríguez | [21] | 2014–present | 2016–present |
See also
Other topics of interest
- List of African-American jurists
- List of Asian American jurists
- List of Hispanic and Latino American jurists
- List of Jewish American jurists
- List of Native American jurists
- List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States
- List of first minority male lawyers and judges in the United States