When it comes to our legal system, especially for lawyers, women are faced with discrimination, disempowerment, and abuse as the profession is male dominated.
According to research by Forbes Advisor, approximately only 40 percent of women are lawyers; Women from the past and present have made several efforts to reform the Judicial system to serve all citizens.
Female lawyers have played a pivotal role in shaping American history. Women’s rights and gender equality have had a lasting impact on the legal landscape.
Women have had to face challenges, especially from society. In this blog post, we will discuss ten female lawyers who have molded American history and how they have helped women to advocate for their rights without being silenced.
Here Are 10 Female Lawyers Who Have Helped Build American History.
1. Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ginsburg was an American lawyer born in 1933 and died in September 2020. During her college years, from 1950 to 1954, it was a time of heyday for Senator Joseph McCarthy who saw a communist in every closet.
Her professor, Robert. E. Cushman hired her as a research assistant and made her realize the country had sworn away from values. This was how she found an interest in becoming a lawyer.
Ruth Bader did very well in law school even though all eyes were on her as Harvard did not admit female law students until 1950. Pregnant women lost their jobs and spent the rest of their days playing the “good wife”.
It wasn’t until the late 60’s when the feminist movement was revived that she began thinking the law could catch up with changes.
2. Margaret Brent
Margaret Brent was never afraid to stand in a man’s world, but she became the first woman to represent her business in court and the first woman who requested the right to vote.
Margaret went before the assembly and asked for two votes attempting to petition them for taxes to pay the soldiers since votes at that time were based on property. She asked for one as a landowner and one as the executor of Calvert’s will. It was debated, but ultimately, her request was denied.
Refusing to take no part for an answer, she went to the provincial court to request that she be named Lord Baltimore’s attorney since that was the capacity in which Leonard Calvert was serving her request was granted.
Mrs. Brent imported corn from from Virginia to feed the soldiers and sold some of his cattle in order to pay them.
Although her vote was denied, the assembly praised her stewardship on the 21st of April, 1649 that her leadership was crucial for the colony. Most soldiers respected her more than any other. In 1650, the Brents moved to Virginia’s northern Neck.
3. Sandra Day O`connor
Since 1901, Sandra Day O’Connor has become one of the most powerful women in America after President Reagan left office.
She laid the law of the land on abortion, affirmative action, and the decision that made George Bush the president of the United States.
Sandra O’Connor set down the opportunity for women to hold prominent positions in government thus it signaled that it was okay for women to have such position.
Women now had opportunities at every level not just for Lawyers and Judges but across every sector.
At the age of 16, She got into Stanford University and finished third in her class, at Stanford Law. After millions of rejections from top-class companies, She worked hard to become the first tate appeal court Judge in Arizona.
When she was in the Legislature, one of her main projects, in the state senate of Arizona was to draft a constitutional moment for Arizona to adopt a merit selection system for their Judges and commission who would consider application and make recommendations to the governor for approval for the appointment of a Supreme Court Judges and Court of Appeal Judges.
4. Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris was born on the 20th of October 1964 to Shyamala Gopalan and Donald. J. Harris in California where she had her PhD in Economics. After law school, Kamala Harris became a public prosecutor in California.
She has now become an activist, lawyer, and politician representing the idea of ” tough on crime” that a prosecutor should be upholding the status quo for justice.
Kamala Harris deemed herself as a “progressive prosecutor”, which means holding serious criminals accountable focusing on preventing crimes in the first place. She fought against the Anti-death penalty and punished big banks after the 2008 housing crisis.
She fought and won a billion dollars prosecution against a for-profit university and her most nationally recognized moment in American history as an attorney general is the moment to told the clerk of Los Angeles to begin issuing marriage License to same sex couples.
For over two decades, Kamala Harris has built an impressive public service career-breaking barriers at every turn and the first Black woman elected as District Attorney of California and the first woman to serve as the state Attorney General.
She is also the first Indian American to become a US senator and the first Black woman of Asia America to be chosen as the Vice President’s running mate. Now, she stands on the brink of yet another historical achievement to becoming the first female Black President of the United States.
5. Janet Woods Reno
Born in July 1938, she received her chemistry degree from Cornell University and her LLB from Harvard Law School where she was just one of 16 women in a class of more than 500 students.
In her early career, Reno was the staff director of the Judicial Committee of Florida’s House of Representatives led the redrafting of the state Juvenile code, and as a consultant to the Florida state Senate criminal commuter in 1978 and was the first woman appointed to serve as State attorney of Miami.
As an attorney, Reno focused her efforts on prevention programs and helped create the Miami drug court. She was also one of the few state attorneys in Florida who opted to retain the responsibility within the family court abuse and neglect rather than relinquish them.
In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed Reno to be the first woman Attorney General of the United States. During her tenure, she invigorated the Department of Justice and its employees to refocus and pursue its core mission for justice and equality for all Americans.
She distinguished herself by seeking to reduce youth violence through early intervention and effective prevention. Under her leadership, increased focus and support were offered to the office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
6. Belva Ann Lockwood.
Belva Ann Lockwood was born on the 24th of October 1830, she applied to the Columbian Law School but was refused admission because they feared she would distract the male students.
She was later admitted to the new National University School of Law now George Washington University. The District of Columbia Bar admitted her, although several Judges told Lockwood they had no confidence in her, a reaction she repeatedly had to overcome.
When she tried to gain admission to the Maryland Bar, a Judge told her that God himself had determined that women were not equal to men.
Belva became involved in the women’s rights movement arguing that female employees earned less than men and the number of female clerks employed was limited.
She heavily lobbied and pressured Samuel Arnold, Chairman of the House committee on Education and Labor.
She argued for equal pay for all workers and outlawed discrimination in hiring based on gender. Arnold introduced a bill to give married women in Washington DC property rights and in 1870 the law was passed enabling women to get employed in higher positions.
This gave them the ability to offer them equal pay as male employees. The bill also enabled the number of female employees to go higher. As a result, women in treasury department with equal pay rose from 4 percent to twenty percent.
7. Sonia Sotomayor.
Sonia was born on 25th June 1954 and is an American Lawyer who completed Princeton University.
During her school years, she put in long hours in the library and worked over summers with a professor outside of class and gained skills knowledge, and confidence.
Sotomayor was hired out of Law school as an Assistant District Attorney under New York County District Attorney Robert Jorge Thai starting in 1979. She handled heavy caseloads as she prosecuted everything from shoplifting and prostitution to robberies and assault.
Sonia also worked on cases involving police brutality. In the Courtroom, she was effective at cross-examination and at simplifying a case in ways to which a jury could relate. In 1983, she helped convict Richard Maddicks also known as “Tarzan Murderer”.
She displayed special zeal in pursuing child pornography cases.In 1995, Sotomayor became well-known for her ruling which ended 1994 baseball strike after 232 days. Two years later, she was nominated by Clinton to become a Judge on US court of appeals.
In general, she showed a passion for bringing law and order to the streets of New York.
8. Lyda Burton Conley.
Lyda was born in 1869 in Kansas and died in 1946. During her lifetime, she became a lawyer and was admitted to the Missouri Bar, she was the first woman admitted to the Kansas Bar Association.
She was the first Native American to argue in front of the Supreme Court. She was known as the “Guardian of the Huron Cemetery”.
She went to law school because the government threatened to sell her tribe’s cemetery. She argued that the federal government had a duty to protect Native American burial sites.
Lyda faced numerous challenges in her attempt to save the Huron Cemetery including Legal obstacles where the US government authorized the sale of the cemetery land in 1906.
Again, she faced multiple confrontations with federal marshals who tried to remove them. Despite her efforts, she encountered societal indifference and hostility leading to her arrest for trespassing while protecting the graves.
Despite these challenges, her determination ultimately led to legal protections for the cemetery decades later.
9. Myra Bradwell
Myra was born on February 12, 1831, in Manchester, Vermont, and died on February 14, 1894, in Chicago, Illinois. She was an American lawyer and editor who was involved in several landmark cases concerning the legal rights of women.
She became committed to the cause of protecting the freedom of the press. She enrolled in Elchin Female Seminary and became a teacher and in 1852, she married James Bradwell.
He became a member of Illinois bar and Myra served as his apprentice beginning in her legal education alongside her husband. In 1861, Myra Bradwell helped Bradwell draft women’s property act.
This act allowed married women own properties and also receive income from that property. In 1865, Illinois supreme court interpreted the law to mean that married women did not own the wages from work.
They believed that their husbands still owned their right to their wages. However, in 1869, Myra Bradwell lobbied the legislature to change that law and succeeded.
10.Gloria Allred
Allred was born on the 3rd of July 1941 is an American Attorney. She attended Southwestern Law School and was admitted to the State Bar Of California in 1975.
Allred has represented a wide variety of clients in civil rights suits that have involved sexual harassment, women’s rights, wrongful termination and employment discrimination.
She is known to take high-profile cases using press conferences and appearances on television without much effort.
In 1983, Allred represented lesbian activities in their lawsuit against the owner of a Los Angeles restaurant after he denied the two an injunction based on unlawful discrimination.
Allred is currently president of the Women’s Equal Rights Legal Defense And Education Fund.
She is also a member of the advisory board of Women’s Day – USA a charity dedicated to promoting observation and recognition of March 8 as International Women’s Day in the United States.
In conclusion, these women have played significant roles in shaping the legal sector, especially in advocating for equality and justice. Their bravery and perseverance have inspired countless women to pursue careers in law.
The stories of these female lawyers who helped shape American history serve as a reminder that despite adversity, women can achieve greatness and shape the course of history.
