Justice Arleigh Woods was a Superior Court of Los Angeles County judge, the first African American woman in the U.S. to be a senior partner in a major law firm, and the first African American woman appointed to the California Court of Appeal in 1980. She established the first settlement program on the state Court of Appeal and directed the pilot program for Fast Track, Law and Motions, and civil trials. Justice Woods also served as the supervising judge of the North Central District.