Lynneice Washington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lynneice O. Washington
|
|
|---|---|
| Deputy District Attorney of Jefferson County, Alabama, Bessemer Division | |
| Assumed office January 16, 2017 |
|
| Preceded by | Bill Veitch |
| Presiding Judge of the Bessemer Municipal Court | |
| In office February, 2011 – December, 2016 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 27, 1967 Birmingham, Alabama |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater | Auburn University at Montgomery (BA) Miles College (JD) |
Lynneice Washington is an American lawyer who made history. In 2016, she became the deputy district attorney for the Bessemer area in Alabama. She is important because she was the first African American woman to hold this position in Alabama.
Early Life and Education
Lynneice Washington was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She went to A. H. Parker High School. From a young age, she was interested in the justice system. Even though her mother wanted her to be a nurse or a teacher, Lynneice dreamed of becoming a lawyer.
She explained that being a lawyer was not a common career for many African Americans in her family. Her mother thought it seemed impossible at the time. Lynneice worked hard and graduated from Auburn University at Montgomery. She then earned her law degree from Miles Law School. After finishing her studies, she started her career as a defense attorney.
Legal Career Journey
In 2010, Lynneice Washington was running to become a district judge. During this time, she was diagnosed with Breast cancer. She had left her job as an Assistant District Attorney to focus on her campaign. She recovered from cancer, but she did not win that election.
In February 2011, she was appointed as the main judge for the Bessemer District Municipal Court. This was a big step in her career. In 2016, Washington ran for office again. She won the election for the Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff District. She ran as a member of the Democratic Party. She won by a small number of votes against the person who held the job before, Bill Veitch.
Views on Justice
Approaches to Justice
District Attorney Washington has clear ideas about how justice should work. She believes in finding different ways to handle legal cases. She wants to help people who have committed minor offenses avoid going to prison. Instead, she supports programs that offer other solutions.
She also plans to improve a special unit that checks if past convictions were fair. This unit helps make sure that no one is wrongly convicted. She also wants to create a group where citizens and police can work together. This helps build trust and understanding in the community.
