Amalya Lyle Kearse

Professional career

• After law school, Kearse practiced in New York City, rising to partner at Hughes, Hubbard & Reed by 1969. She held the role of an adjunct lecturer at New York University School of Law (1968–1969) and was the first African American woman to receive a fellowship from the American College of Trial Lawyers.
• Adjunct lecturer, New York University Law School, 1968-1969
• Private practice, New York City, 1962-1979

Judicial service

• Judge, Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 1979-2002
• Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• On May 3, 1979, President Jimmy Carter nominated her to the Second Circuit, a seat created by law. She was confirmed by the Senate on June 19, 1979, and commissioned June 21, 1979. At the time, she was the first woman and only the second Black person on the court, after Thurgood Marshall. She assumed senior status on June 11, 2002.
• Kearse authored notable decisions, including McCray v. Abrams (1984), which created a test to limit the use of peremptory strikes based on race — a principle later echoed in Batson v. Kentucky.

Education

• Wellesley College · B.A., 1959
• University of Michigan Law School · J.D., 1962
• Columbia High School

Personal record

Born 1937 · Vauxhall, NJ