The women’s liberation movement began in the 1960s and continued well into the 80s, and arguably, is still present today in the form of feminism. The appointment of Sandra Day O’Connor to the Supreme Court was a monumental event for the movement, and for America, as she was the first woman to ever serve on the Court.
O’Connor was born in 1930 in El Paso, Texas. She graduated from Stanford University in 1952 with a law degree and was unable to find employment. As a female lawyer, the vast majority of law firms were hesitant in hiring her. One firm offered her a position as a secretary, despite her specific academic achievements in law. O’Connor was incredibly intelligent, being admitted to Stanford University at 16 years old, graduating from law school a year early and third in her class. Eventually, she found work as a deputy district attorney for San Mateo County in California. She served as a civil attorney in Germany for the army for a few years, and later moved to Arizona to privately practice law before being appointed as Arizona’s assistant attorney general. In 1969, O’Connor was elected to the Senate for Arizona as a Republican as the first woman to hold this position. She continued to hold prestigious roles for women at the time when she elected as a Superior court judge in Maricopa County in Arizona.
In 1981, Ronald Reagan nominated her as a potential Supreme Court justice and was unanimously approved by the Supreme Court. Immediately, she drafted the majority opinion for a case involving gender discrimination, arguing that by not admitting men into a traditionally all-female nursing school sustained the stereotype that only women could be nurses. O’Connor promoted women’s interests while serving on the Court, using her power to maintain women’s abortion rights in the case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey. After retiring in 2006, O’Connor continued to advocate for childhood education in civics. She ultimately proved to America that women could serve just as well as men could in such an essential role of Supreme Court justice.
Sources:
https://www.oyez.org/justices/sandra_day_oconnor
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sandra-Day-OConnor
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/books/review/evan-thomas-first-sandra-day-oconnor.html
Sources:
https://www.oyez.org/justices/sandra_day_oconnor
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sandra-Day-OConnor
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/books/review/evan-thomas-first-sandra-day-oconnor.html
What an inspirational woman! I also want to elaborate on the Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision that she was involved in. Many states continued passing legislation that made it difficult for women to obtain abortions despite the Roe v. Wade ruling. When Pennsylvania passed legislation that required women to give "informed consent," Planned Parenthood filed a suit. The concept of informed consent would require women to prove their husband's consent and minors to provide at least one parent's consent. Additionally, women would have to undergo a 24-hour waiting period before they could get their procedure. The main purpose of the Planned Parenthood v. Casey was to re-establish and expand upon the provisions in Roe v. Wade. It also introduced the standard of "undue burden," which referred to a "substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion before the fetus attains viability." Based off the new standard, the provision for a husband's consent was struck down. Though the ruling upheld Pennsylvania's other provisions, it was a monumental step, especially for a Supreme Court that was much more conservative than the it had been during Roe v. Wade.
ReplyDeleteSources:
https://www.oyez.org/cases/1991/91-744
https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/supremecourt/rights/landmark_casey.html
https://www.britannica.com/event/Planned-Parenthood-of-Southeastern-Pennsylvania-v-Casey