Oregon's Supreme Court Will Be Majority Female For The 1st Time

Oregon's Supreme Court will be majority female for the first time in the state's history, starting next month.

That distinction will come when Rebecca Duncan takes her seat next month.

Duncan is being appointed by Gov. Kate Brown to replace Justice David Brewer, who retires in June. Duncan was a public defender when Gov. Ted Kulongoski appointed her to the Oregon Court of Appeals in 2010.

After Duncan is sworn in, four women and three men will sit on Oregon's highest court.

That's a first in the state's 158-year history. But it's far from unprecedented nationally.

Nearly a dozen other states have majority female Supreme Courts. In Olympia, six of the nine members of the Washington Supreme Court are women.