Violet Renice Palmer (born July 20, 1964) is a retired American basketball referee in the NBA and WNBA[1] and the first female official to reach the highest competitive tier in any major U.S. professional sports league.

Palmer was the first woman to officiate an NBA playoff game when she did so in the April 25, 2006 match between the Indiana Pacers and New Jersey Nets.

After years of refereeing at various levels, including NBA pre-season and exhibition games, Palmer was offered an opportunity to officiate the NCAA Division I men's tournament in 1996.

[7] In 1997, Palmer and Dee Kantner were signed by the NBA to together become the first top-level female officials in any major U.S. professional sport.

On October 31, 1997, Palmer made history when she officiated the NBA season opener between the Vancouver Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks, in British Columbia, Canada.

Palmer was one of three NBA referees who officiated the brawl-marred December 16, 2006, game between the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks.

The officiating crew, which also consisted of Dick Bavetta and Robbie Robinson, ejected all 10 players who were on the court when the brawl broke out.