Ann Covington

First Woman State Supreme Court Justice —

A1963 GRADUATE OF DUKE University in Durham, N.C., Ann Covington’s first career goal was to become a college professor. Those plans changed after postponing graduate school 11 years to start a family and then discovering college teaching positions were scarce.

As a backup plan for breaking into higher education, Covington decided to attend law school, and in 1968, she enrolled at the University of Missouri School of Law at Columbia. That decision ultimately led her to become the first woman appointed to the Missouri Court of Appeals in 1987. Subsequently she was first woman appointed to the Missouri Supreme Court in 1988. During her 12 years on the state’s highest court, Covington served as chief justice from 1993 to 1995.

“She is universally respected for her intellect and legal abilities, and she performed the legal responsibilities of her judicial position with distinction. She constantly worked to improve the administration of justice and undertook causes when she was convinced of their merits, even though the causes were not always popular,” said Judge Patricia Breckenridge of the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western Division.

Covington was a pioneer who opened the door for women to the highest echelon of the judiciary in Missouri.