TAMPA, Fla. — In Hillsborough County's 13th Judicial Circuit Court, there are now more female judges than male judges.
ABC Action News Anchor Lauren St. Germain listened to the first female judge in the 13th Judicial Circuit Court about what it was like when she first got on the bench and how the landscape has changed. She also had a conversation with a sitting circuit court judge about how her influence has paved the way for other women.
When ABC Action News met Judge Susan Bucklew and Judge Katherine Essrig, it was clear they are old friends.
WATCH: Historic shift: Female judges outnumber male judges in Hillsborough's 13th Judicial Circuit
“You two go way back, correct?” asked St. Germain.
“Embarrassingly far back,” laughed Judge Bucklew and Judge Essrig.
“Tell me about when you two first met,” said St. Germain
“I was a teacher at Plant High School,” said Judge Susan Bucklew. She’s currently an inactive Senior U.S. District Judge.
“I was a sophomore. That would have been 1971-1972,” said Judge Katherine Essrig. She’s currently a sitting Circuit Court Judge in the 13th Judicial Circuit.
“She was a very smart student, too. She stood out,” said Judge Bucklew.
“She was Mrs. Bucklew to me at that point, not Judge Bucklew. She was young and strict, and I think it was much like when I was a young judge,” said Judge Essrig.
Mrs. Bucklew eventually left teaching, went to law school, and became Judge Bucklew. She was the first woman on the bench in Hillsborough County as a county court judge in 1982 and then a circuit court judge in 1986. In 1993, she moved to the federal level, becoming a judge for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
“I think in the beginning, I was very concerned about, you know, not making any mistakes, because I was really worried everybody had the spotlight on me. If I made a mistake, it was going to be all over the newspaper. If somebody else made a mistake, nobody would really care,” said Judge Bucklew.
“About what point do you think the tides turned? Like you were just saying, where there started to be a lot more females in your profession?” asked St. Germain.
“I was the only female judge until I think Barbara Fleischer,” said Judge Bucklew. “For about three years, I was the only female on the bench, and then Barbara came on, and then Susan Sexton came on a couple of years later, and then it just seemed that the flood gates opened.”
“By the time I was elected to the bench, I ran in 1990 and began my first term in January of 1991, I had a cadre of women already on the bench like Judge Bucklew, Judge Fleischer—these women who were very welcoming and supportive and really I think went above and beyond because of their experiences of having been so isolated and I think somewhat of outsiders,” said Judge Essrig.
Voters elected Judge Essrig county court judge for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Hillsborough County in 1991 and then Circuit Court Judge for the 13th Judicial Circuit in 1997.
Now, decades later, she is one of the majority. As of early July 2025, there are 35 female judges in the 13th Judicial Circuit and 32 male judges with three vacancies. Less than 50 years ago, that was unheard of.
“For me, it’s pretty amazing, since there weren’t any [women] when I came on the bench in 1982,” said Judge Bucklew.
“I’ve seen a remarkable change from the time I became a lawyer in 1981, same thing, there was a handful. It was a rarity to see a female judge, to appear before a female judge. Then all of a sudden, the tide changed,” said Judge Essrig. “It’s a whole new world. You walk around the halls of the state or federal courthouse, and you see women or men in all positions."
