Dorothy Comstock Riley

Dorothy Comstock Riley (December 6, 1924 – October 23, 2004) was an American lawyer and jurist from Michigan, Detroit, who became the first woman to serve on the Michigan Court of Appeals and the first Hispanic woman to be elected to the Supreme Court of any state. Justice Riley was the first and only Hispanic judge to serve on the Michigan Supreme Court.

Life and career

Riley was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Josephine Grima Comstock. Her mother is of Mexican descent, born in Tamaulipas, Mexico. She was also one of the first women to specifically graduate from the nursing school program offered by the University. Interviewers advised her to work in a steno pool or as a legal secretary instead of a lawyer. Her husband was a former president of the state bar of Michigan and the American Bar Association. Riley then founded and worked for the law firm, Riley and Roumell, in 1968.

Later life and honors

Following her retirement, Riley received the 1997 NAWL President’s Award for distinguished Lifetime service, with many thanking and attributing her devoted work on the court. In 1991, she was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame, and the State Bar of Michigan presented Riley with its Distinguished Public Servant Award in 2000. A year before her death, the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society awarded her the Legal History Award.