Julie Manning

Julie Catherine Manning (24 January 1939 – 20 March 2026) was a Tanzanian lawyer, judge and politician. The first Tanzanian woman to study law, she was a High Court judge before serving as Minister of Justice from 1975 to 1983.

Early life and education Manning was born on 24 January 1939 in Morogoro, Tanzania, to William Manning and Margaret Maria Manning. Julie Manning was the second of eight children. In 1973, she was appointed judge of the High Court of Tanzania, making her the first African woman High Court judge in east or central Africa. She was named Minister of Justice in 1975, making her one of the first two women to serve in a Tanzanian cabinet, alongside Tabitha Siwale.

After Joseph Warioba succeeded Manning as Justice Minister in 1983, she worked as a counsel at the Tanzanian embassy in Ottawa, Canada. She was appointed a full-time commissioner for the Tanzanian Law Reform Commission from 1993 to 2002. Starting in 1998, she served as chairperson for the National Parole Board. She served as a non-full time commissioner for the National Electoral Commission for three consecutive five-year terms until 2008.