Sarah Grant
Women Lawyers ~ Women Leaders Arch The Honorable Sarah D. Grant was born in El Dorado Kansas on November 10, 1942 and raised in Texas. Grant received her degree in Psychology from the University of California Los Angeles in 1966. She then worked as a medical caseworker at Harbor General Hospital before moving to England to study. Grant studied private international law at the Council of Legal Education School of Law in London where she received a certificate of distinction and merit. In 1970 Grant received her law degree from the charter class at the Arizona State University College of Law. She worked for a criminal defense firm Debus & Busby for three years before taking the position as Research Analyst for the Arizona Supreme Court. Grant is a mother of two children Trevi and Ashley whom she raised during the time when maternity leave was not available for working women. In 1975 Grant became the first Chief Staff Attorney at the Arizona Supreme Court and in 1979 she was appointed Judge for the Maricopa County Superior Court. Grant was the first woman to serve as the Criminal Presiding Judge in the Maricopa County Superior Court. In 1982 Grant was appointed to the Arizona Court of Appeals Division I where she became the first woman to serve as the Division's Chief Judge. Grant retired from the bench in 1999. Throughout her career Grant has participated in several community organizations. She is a member of the National Association of Women Judges and founding member of the Arizona Women Lawyers Association. Grant also served on the executive board of the Arizona Judges Association and she has served on the Board of Visitors for the University of Arizona College of Law Brigham Young University College of Law and Arizona State University College of Law. Grant has served on several committees for the Arizona State Bar and the American Bar Association. Grant is also a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Grant has many notable cases including Arnold v. Arizona Dept. of Health Services (1989) where Grant wrote the majority opinion in dealing with the issue of whether the state and county had the duty to provide mental health care to a class of indigent chronically mental ill persons. Another case was Hess v. Hess where Grant attempted to protect women's rights against unconscionable prenuptial agreements. The Arizona Supreme Court did not publish the opinion but the case remains part of Grant's support for women. Grant has received the Arizona State University College of Law Award of Merit and Distinguished Achievement Award and was named one of the "100 Women and Minority Lawyers" honorees in Arizona.