[1] Her father was a dentist and her mother was originally from Wilson, North Carolina, which was a town of strict segregation, but also was said to be "the bright leaf tobacco market for the East".
She was an attorney in the Office of the Solicitor of the United States Department of Labor in Chicago from 1964 to 1965.
She was confirmed by the United States Senate on October 31, 1979, and received her commission on November 2, 1979.
[citation needed] She was also the first African American federal judge to serve in the state of New Jersey.
[citation needed] She served as Chief Judge from 1994 to 2001, and assumed senior status on June 1, 2001.