Women’s History Month Video: Federal Judge Says You Can Never ‘Dream Big Enough’

As a child, Julie A. Robinson was inspired by a story told by her grandmother, of how Civil Rights pioneer Mary McLeod Bethune was invited to the White House to meet with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.  Years later, Robinson followed Bethune’s footsteps into the White House, to be interviewed for a federal judgeship.

Robinson, a U.S. District Court judge in Topeka, Kans., began her journey to the federal bench at age 5, when she decided to become a lawyer. She credits her success to her father’s faith in her and the fact that her mentors set high standards and demanded the best from her. 

In a new U.S. Courts video being released in commemoration of Women's History Month, Judge Robinson tells young people:  “You never can dream big enough, sometimes.  You can never really know all that is in store for you.  All you can do is make sure that you are ready, and positioned, and able, and willing to accept all that comes your way.”

The video is the newest in a series called Pathways to the Bench, a series of brief, first-person profiles in which federal judges focus on lessons they have learned from overcoming personal adversity. The videos, produced by the Administrative Office of the U.S.  Courts, may be used for educational purposes. To see the full Pathways video series, click here.