Category Archives: Feminist Legal History

Two Law Profs Named to Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum’s Committee of Scholars

Congratulations to Nadia Ahmad (Barry) and Mary Ziegler (UC Davis). Full announcement here.

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Virtual Summer Feminist Legal Theory Series–June 28 & Aug 2

2023 VIRTUAL SUMMER FEMINIST LEGAL THEORY SERIES Looking Back/Looking Forward: The Significance of Feminist Legal Theory June 28, 2023 and August 2, 2023 Pre-registration (here) required Zoom link to be provided 1 day prior to event Overview This summer, the … Continue reading

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Elizabeth D. Katz Wins Haub Law Emerging Scholar in Gender & Law Prize

Professor Elizabeth D. Katz of Washington University in St. Louis School of Law has been selected as the 2021-2022 Haub Law Emerging Scholar in Gender & Law for her paper Sex, Suffrage, and State Constitutional Law: Women’s Legal Right to … Continue reading

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Does Feminist Legal Theory Matter to the Schlesinger Library? Or Smith? Or Duke? Or Brown?

Earlier this week, Ms. Magazine published an article (here) revealing the somewhat surprising decision of the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University to decline the records of the Feminism and Legal Theory Project, begun at the University of Wisconsin in 1984 … Continue reading

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All In by @BillieJeanKing is a Fabulous Read

I just finished reading Billie Jean King’s memoir (written with Johnette Howard and Maryanne Vollers), All In. It’s a fantastic read for anyone interested in sports, second-wave feminism, Title IX, LGBT rights, social change (or several or all). The last … Continue reading

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Highlights of 37 Years of the Feminist Legal Theory Project

The latest newsletter (here) of the Vulnerability and the Human Condition Project at Emory University, spearheaded by Martha Fineman, highlights many of the contributions made over the last 37 years by the Feminism and Legal Theory Project.  The Feminism and … Continue reading

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13 Short Symposium Essays in Connection with “Are You There, Law? It’s Me, Menstruation?” @ColumbiaJGL

On April 9/10, 2021, the Columbia Journal of Gender & Law will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Judy Blume’s book, Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret and the 30th anniversary of the journal with a symposium … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and the Workplace, Feminist Legal History, Feminist Legal Scholarship, Law Teaching, Race and Racism, Sisters In Other Nations, Socioeconomic Class, Upcoming Conferences, Women and Economics, Women's Health | Comments Off on 13 Short Symposium Essays in Connection with “Are You There, Law? It’s Me, Menstruation?” @ColumbiaJGL

Livia Gershon on How Women Lost Status in Saloons @JSTOR_Daily

From JSTOR: How Women Lost Status In Saloons, an article by Livia Gershon. Link here. 

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Remarks of Zelle W. Andrews at Westchester Women’s Agenda Conference at Sarah Lawrence College (circa 2012)

Dr. Zelle Andrews, a graduate of Wheaton College and the University of Hawai’i, had a long career as an organizer and activist.  She served as president of the New York State and Westchester chapters of the National Organization for Women, … Continue reading

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#BLM Black Lives Matter’s Broad Reach

Earlier this months, the New York Times published an article Black Lives Matter May be the Largest Movement in History. Here is an excerpt: Four recent polls — including one released this week by Civis Analytics, a data science firm … Continue reading

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The Real History of the “Because of Sex” Language in Title VII

 I had always heard that the adding of the “because of sex” language in Title VII was intended as a joke. Turns out the story is more complicated than that. Representative Howard Smith (D-Virginia) was a segregationist with longstanding ties … Continue reading

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Feminist Scholarship in “Made At NYPL” Exhibit @nypl

I recently visited the New York Public Library to see the exhibit Made at NYPL, a celebration of “a small by representative sample of original works that were produced using the Library’s unique and extensive resources.”  Among the featured works … Continue reading

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New Book Announcement: “The Princeton Fugitive Slave” by Lolita Buckner Inniss (@auntiefeminist @SMULawSchool)

Professor Lolita Buckner Inniss (SMU) has published her book, The Princeton Fugitive Slave: The Trials of James Collins Johnson (Fordham U. Press 2019).  Here is the publisher’s description:   James Collins Johnson made his name by escaping slavery in Maryland … Continue reading

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@RebelCityPod on a Really, Really Important Scottish Feminist You Probably Never Read About

Via freelance journalist Alex Tiffin (@RespectisVital), I got pointed to the Rebel City Podcast, a podcast made in Glasgow by Paul Shields and Matt Diamond.  On a recent episode, the podcast featured Ray Barron-Woolford (@Raywoolford), the author of a new … Continue reading

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Henderson on “The Intersectional Life and Times of Lutie A. Lytle”

Taja-Nia Y. Henderson (Rutgers) has published a new article in the Iowa Law Review: ‘I Shall Talk to My Own People’: The Intersectional Life and Times of Lutie A. Lytle, 102 Iowa L. Rev. 1983 (2017). For those not familiar … Continue reading

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A Review of a New Book On the Movement To Pass the Equal Rights Amendment

Linda Greenhouse reviews Marjorie J. Spruill’s new book Divided We Stand: The Battle Over Women’s Rights and Family Values That Polarized American Politics (Bloomsbury, 2017) here, for the New York Review of Books. 

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SMU Interdisciplinary Conference: “Women’s Rights in America: From Early Stirrings to Third Wave Feminism”

From colleagues at SMU’s Dedman College Interdisciplinary Institute (including Feminist Law Prof Lolita Buckner Inniss): Join us in Dallas on Sept 22, 2017 for the launch of a three-year program that connects conversations in academic communities on feminist theory and … Continue reading

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Tait on “The Return of Coverture”

Allison Anna Tait (Richmond) has posted to SSRN her essay, The Return of Coverture, 114 Mich. L. Rev. First Impressions (2016).  Here is the abstract: Once, the notion that husbands and wives were equal partners in marriage seemed outlandish and … Continue reading

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A New Blog Devoted To the History of Women Lawyers

Bari Burke, University of Montana School of Law, has launched a new blog, Montana’s Early Women Lawyers: Trail-Blazing, Big Sky Sisters-In-Law.  Each post focuses on an interesting (and unknown) story about a female lawyer from the past, which Professor Burke … Continue reading

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Posted in Academia, Employment Discrimination, Feminist Blogs Of Interest, Feminist Legal History, Feminist Legal Scholarship, Feminists in Academia, Law Teaching, Legal Profession | Comments Off on A New Blog Devoted To the History of Women Lawyers

A Legislative History of Illegitimacy In British Columbia

Susan B. Boyd, University of British Columbia Faculty of Law, and Jennifer Flood, Thorsteinssons LLP, have published Illegitimacy in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Nova Scotia: A Legislative History. Here is the abstract. Over time, provincial legislation in Canada modified … Continue reading

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Anti-Woman Suffrage Cartoons

Over at MessyNessyChic, a post (here) features some vintage anti-woman suffrage posters.  Here’s one, at left. View the full collection here. -Bridget Crawford

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Historic Preservation and LGBT History

Last month, the National Park Service announced (here) a “theme study” focused on sites related to LGBT history.  The study’s aims (described here) are: engaging scholars, preservationists and community members to identify, research, and tell the stories of LGBT associated … Continue reading

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In Honor of Memorial Day

And check out the Women In Military Service For America Memorial Foundation’s web site here. -Bridget Crawford

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Patricia Hill Collins, “Lessons from Black Feminism”

Earlier this year, Patricia Hill Collins spoke at Grand Valley State University (Michigan).  Her talk, “We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest: Lessons from Black Feminism,” was sponsored by the University’s Office of Multicultural Affairs, Women’s Center and LGBT Resource … Continue reading

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Black Women Activists Throughout History

Via For Harriet, this list of “27 Black Women Activists Everyone Should Know“: Ella Baker Josephine Baker Daisy Bates Mary McLeod Bethune Beverly Bond Elaine Brown Majora Carter Shirley Chisholm Septima Clark Anna Julia Cooper Angela Davis Marian Wright Edelman … Continue reading

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After More Than a Century, the Netherlands Gets a King

For the first time in 123 years, the Netherlands has a male sovereign. Queen Beatrix has abdicated, somewhat ironically on Queen’s Day, paving the way for her oldest son, Willem-Alexander, to become the nation’s king. Beatrix follows in the tradition of … Continue reading

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Bernette Johnson Becomes Louisiana’s First African American Supreme Court Chief Justice

Bernette Johnson has been sworn in as Louisiana’s first African American Supreme Court Chief Justice, succeeding Catherine (Kitty) Kimball. Chief Justice Johnson filed a federal lawsuit last year after Justice Jeffrey Victory claimed that he had more seniority than she … Continue reading

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Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands To Abdicate

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, who has reigned since 1980, when her mother, Queen Juliana stepped down from the throne, is expected to announced her abdication in favor of her oldest son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, today. According to the BBC, the … Continue reading

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Gerda Lerner, Pioneering Feminist and Historian, Dies at 92

NYT obituary here. From the National Women’s History Museum: Gerda Lerner’s accomplishments and contributions to the field of women’s history have been fundamental to its development. Her many works include The Grimke Sisters from South Carolina: Pioneers for Women’s Rights … Continue reading

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Lesbian Herstory Archives Internships

From the FLP mailbox: The Lesbian Herstory Archives (located in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NYC) is looking for graduate and undergraduate students who are interested in library and/or archives with a demonstrated interest in Lesbian Studies, History and Activism. We have … Continue reading

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“On Having Fun & Raising Hell” – Symposium honoring the work of Professor Ann Scales on Saturday, March 30, 2013 at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law

“On Having Fun & Raising Hell” * Symposium honoring the work of Professor Ann Scales Saturday, March 30, 2013 Join the University of Denver Sturm College of Law to honor the life and work of Professor Ann Scales (1952-2012), author … Continue reading

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“War on Women, Waged in Postcards: Memes From the Suffragist Era”

Here. Below is one of the featured postcards.

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Yxta Maya Murray on “Anglo-American Radical Feminism’s Constitutionalism in the Streets”

Yxta Maya Murray has posted to SSRN her article ‘Creating New Categories’: Anglo-American Radical Feminism’s Constitutionalism in the Streets, 9 Hastings Race & Poverty L.J. 454 (2012).  Here is the abstract: In 1968 and 1970, U.S. and British radical feminists … Continue reading

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Cartoon History, Woman Suffrage and the Kewpie Doll

Comicbookgrrrl has an informative post (here) about cartoonist Rose O’Neill: Rose O’Neill is regarded as the first woman cartoonist (1874-1944). Self taught, and from a poor family, her parents ensured she was never without paper to draw on, and her … Continue reading

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Fenton, “An Essay on Slavery’s Hidden Legacy”

Zanita Fenton (Miami) has published An Essay on Slavery’s Hidden Legacy: Social Hysteria and Structural Condonation of Incest, 55 Howard L.J. 319 (2012).  Here is the abstract: The history of slavery and its effects within the United States, especially the … Continue reading

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Feminist Saint Joan

Blawg Review #320 is a salute to Joan of Arc: warrior, saint, and icon. Amicae Curiae editors Melissa Castan and Kate Galloway do the honors.

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Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Gender

Tracy A. Thomas, University of Akron School of Law, has published Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Notion of a Legal Class of Gender, in Feminist Legal History: Essays on Women and Law (T. Thomas and T. Boisseau, eds.; NYU Press). Here is … Continue reading

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Feminist Law Profs Interview with Sara McDougall

I recently spoke with Sara McDougall (History, John Jay College) about Professor McDougall’s book Bigamy and Christian Identity in Late Medieval Champagne (Penn Press 2012), previously blogged here, as well as Professor McDougall’s other work. Crawford Question: In the church … Continue reading

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McDougall, “Bigamy and Christian Identity in Late Medieval Champagne”

Sara McDougall (History, John Jay College) has published Bigamy and Christian Identity in Late Medieval Champagne (Penn Press 2012).  Here is the publisher’s description: The institution of marriage is commonly thought to have fallen into crisis in late medieval northern … Continue reading

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Woman Suffrage, Lady Gaga-Style

In honor of International Women’s Day, here’s a clever Gaga-inspired music video from Soomo Publishing that (loosely) is about the 19th Amendment.  Yes, all of the people in the video are white – an important reminder that the Woman Suffrage movement … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and the Arts, Feminist Legal History | 2 Comments

Barbara Walters Says Santorum is Correct About “Radical Feminism”

Newsbusters.org reprints (here) a portion of the transcript from Monday’s airing of the morning talk-show The View.  In one segment, Barbara Walters says she agrees with Rick Santorum that radical feminism is to blame for some women’s woes: BARBARA WALTERS: … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminist Legal History, Race and Racism, Sexism in the Media | 2 Comments

2012 Annual Black History Theme = Black Women in American Culture and History

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History announced earlier this year that for 2012, the theme is “Black Women in American Culture and History.”  Here is an excerpt from the group’s announcement of the theme: From … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminist Legal History | 2 Comments

Heen on “From Coverture to Contract: Engendering Insurance”

Mary Heen (Richmond) has posted to SSRN her article From Coverture to Contract: Engendering Insurance, 23 Yale J. of Law & Feminism 335 (2011).  Here is the abstract: In the 1840s, state legislatures began modifying the law of marital status … Continue reading

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How Bad is “The Playboy Club”?

Pretty bad, according to Gail Dines (Wheelock College).  Here’s her take: There were so many surreal scenes in the pilot of NBC’s The Playboy Club that it is difficult to pick out the most eye-popping . . . . I … Continue reading

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Martin Was Like Us (Kinda)

With the publicity over the new MLK memorial on the Washington Mall, several bloggers have weighed in with fresh reflections on King’s legacy.  Over at The Negro Intellectual, there’s this thoughtful commentary (originally from January 2011) on some lesser- known images of Dr. … Continue reading

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Hollywood, Historical Accuracy and the Civil Rights Era

Writer Martha Southgate reviews the novel-now-movie The Help for EW.com.  Here is an excerpt: Implicit in The Help and a number of other popular works that deal with the civil rights era is the notion that a white character is … Continue reading

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Two Perspectives on Feminism and the Legal Academy

Two recently published pieces caught my eye, and might be interesting to read in tandem.  The first is An Inconstant Affair: Feminism and the Legal Academy, by Margaret Thornton (Australian National University).  Here is the abstract: Drawing on the Australian … Continue reading

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Susan B. Anthony’s Handbag

  The Susan B. Anthony House in Rochester, New York is selling the “Ms. Anthony,” a faux alligator handbag inspired by the one that Susan B. Anthony used to carry her speeches and other items while traveling.  The bag has … Continue reading

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Latina Lawyers Before the Supreme Court

Maria Guadalupe Mendoza has published The Thirteen Known Latina Litigants Before the Supreme Court of the United States. Here is the abstract, updated April 3, 2011. From 1935 to 2010, only thirteen known Latinas have argued before the Supreme Court … Continue reading

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Film About Loving v. Virginia at Tribeca Film Festival

The Tribeca Film festival begins next week.  Included in the film line-up is Loving Story, a documentary about Mildred and Richard Loving.  Here is the film description: Loving v. Virginia was a watershed civil rights case in which the United … Continue reading

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