Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
supreme court and women's civil right
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: supreme court and women's civil right
Sandra Day O'Connor
Perhaps no other jurist could have come to the Supreme Court under greater expectations. When President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O'Connor in 1981 to be the first woman to sit on the Supreme Court, he did soto keep a campaign promise. O'Connor's nomination was quick to draw criticism from both the political people left and right. Conservatives put down her lack of federal judicial experience and claimed that she didn't have any constitutional knowledge. They considered her a wasted nomination and suspected her position on abortion. Liberals, on the other hand, could not deny their satisfaction at seeing a woman on the High Court, but they were disappointed in O'Connor's apparent lack of strong support for feminist issues. In time, however, O'Connor has come to answer all these criticisms. O'Connor has emerged from the shadow of Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist and the Court's conservative bloc with her own brand of pragmatic and centrist-oriented conservatism. Even those liberals who branded her a "traitor" in her early years for compromising on abortion rights, now appreciate her efforts to keep the "pro-choice" message of Roe v. Wade in 1973. O'Connor's success should come at no surprise. From her country childhood to her career climb through a profession dominated by men, O'Connor often resorted to practical solutions as she worked within the system. This made her more important in the Supreme Court.
Sandra Day O'Connor was born March 26, 1930, in El Paso, Texas. Her parents, Harry and Ada Mae, owned the Lazy-B-Cattle Ranch in southeastern Arizona, where O'Connor grew up. O'Connor experienced a difficult life on the ranch in her early years. The ranch itself did not receive electricity or ru...
... middle of paper ...
...s part of the Court's conservative faction. The public often associated her with Rehnquist since they shared common roots and values. However, after a few Terms, O'Connor established her own unique position on the Court. Although she commonly sided with the conservatives, O'Connor would frequently author a concurrence that sought to narrow the scope of the majority's opinion.
To this day, O'Connor's core legal philosophy remains difficult to define. She approaches each case with individual treatment and seeks always to arrive at a practical conclusion. Her moderation has helped her role as the centrist coalition-builder, which has consequently enhanced her influence on the Court.
Work Cited
http://www.oyez.org/oyez/resource/legal_entity/102/
http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96mar/oconnor.html
http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/justices/oconnor.bio.html
Not all agreed with the President’s choice of nominee. In fact, some referred to his choice as a judicial activist. (Baker, 2009) Yet, because Judge Sotomayor was replacing liberal Justice Souter, it was no surprise. As the hearings began, the conservative concerns were apparent among the hearing. Three issues that are listed above are believed to be the most relevant during the questioning. Impartiality was raised during a number of issues. Because of Judge Sotomayor’s bold opinions and previous speeches made, her ability as a judge to look at issues regarding the law impartially questioned many. For example, her belief regarding the deference to Congress’ intent was raised. The issue regarding her impartiality was seen in Senator Cardin’s (D-MD) questioning. Sotomayor responded by explaining how a judge’s job is to apply the law to the unique facts of the individual case. In addition, she repeatedly discussed the importa...
Since the beginning of the 17th-century and earlier, there has always been different perspectives on women 's rights. Men and women all over the world have voiced their opinion and position in regard to the rights of women. This holds especially true in the United States during the 18th and 19th century. As women campaigned for equality, there were some who opposed this idea. There was, and always will be a series of arguments on behalf of women 's rights. Anti-women 's rights activists such as Dr. John Todd and Pro-women 's rights activist Gail Hamilton argued intelligently and tactfully on the topic. There were many key arguments made against women’s rights by Dr. John Todd, and Gail Hamilton 's rebuttal was graceful and on par with her male counterpart. Let 's examine some of Dr. John 's arguments against women 's equality.
Justice John Paul Stevens initially took a moderate stance on abortion rights prior to and immediately after joining the Supreme Court. When President Gerald Ford nominated then-Judge Stevens, abortion rights were not as politically controversial as they are today. In a sense, Justice Stevens did not have to take a strong stance on abortion in order to make it onto the Supreme Court. As his time on the Supreme Court went on, Justice Stevens developed a more pro-choice stance in deciding abortion rights cases. After the Reagan-era rise of conservative Republicans, evangelical abortion advocates emerged to the forefront of American politics and media. Justice Stevens always recognized the right to choose established in Roe v. Wade, but may not have felt the strong need to preserve and protect it early in his career. As the years went on, Justice Stevens’ abortion jurisprudence developed into a more pro-choice friendly jurisprudence than that which he initially espoused, likely due to the increased controversial nature of the abortion debate. Justice Stevens felt the need to protect and preserve the stare decisis first established in Roe. In some of the later cases, Justice Stevens developed a strategy to approaching abortion cases and realized that some compromise was required in order to preserve the right to choose. In the early 1990s, Stevens acted as almost a mediator between the liberal and conservative Justices. Stevens did what he could to preserve the fundamental rights from Roe.
St. Olaf College's theme for Women's History Month is "Women in Politics." The featured guest speaker was Sarah Weddington, the attorney who, in 1973, argued the winning side of Roe vs. Wade before the United States Supreme Court. This decision significantly influenced women's reproductive rights by overturning the Texas interpretation of abortion law and making abortion legal in the United States.
...re and an American hero she devoted her life to working towards equal rights for all women. Through writing, speaking, and campaigning, Anthony and her supporters brought about change in the United States government and gave women the important voice that they had always been denied. Any study of feminism or women’s history would be incomplete without learning about her. She fought for her beliefs for 50 years and led the way for women to be granted rights as citizens of their country, Thanks to Anthony’s persistence, several years after her death, in 1920 women were given the right by the Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution. I do believe she was the key figure in women getting the right to vote. “She will forever stand alone and unapproached, her fame continually increasing as evolution lifts humanity into higher appreciation of justice and liberty.”
Sandra Day O’Connor made huge strides in the legal world by becoming the first female Supreme Court Justice. She m...
The biggest way O'Connor shows her beliefs is through her themes. O'Connor uses many themes that resemble the bible. One theme is good vs. evil. Just like the Bible, A Good Man is Hard to Find, has innocent people, which is the mother, Bailey, and the baby. The evil in disguise is the Misfit and grandmother who have a front they show everyone, and keep the truth hidden underneath lies and
Women’s equality has made huge advancements in the United States in the past decade. One of the most influential persons to the movement has been a woman named Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ruth faced gender discrimination many times throughout her career and worked hard to ensure that discrimination based on a person’s gender would be eliminated for future generations. Ginsburg not only worked to fight for women’s equality but fought for the rights of men, as well, in order to show that equality was a human right’s issue and not just a problem that women faced. Though she faced hardships and discrimination, Ruth never stopped working and thanks to her equality is a much closer reality than it was fifty years ago. When Ruth first started her journey in law, women were practically unheard of as lawyers; now three women sit on the bench of the highest court in the nation.
Even to this day, women have not reached maximum equality, but the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade has helped the women’s equality movement drastically take a step in the right direction. Prior to the case, women had their rights very limited and restricted. Everyone was and still is entitled to their basic rights, however pregnant women were not. Their first, fourth, fifth, ninth, and fourteenth amendment rights were violated and were not addressed until Jane Roe testified in court. The decision made by the court still has a lasting impact even to this day. The landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade was not just a win for Jane Roe, but a win for all women as it helped break the barrier that surrounded women’s equality.
...ip between a man and his wife as opposed to patriarchal domination was considered the republican model. In the role of a mother, the republican woman was not as able to pursue involvement in the economy and her family’s income due to the increased duties of motherhood. Nonetheless, society recognized that the characteristics of women were ideal when caring for and educating children to become virtuous citizens, and so women were assigned responsibilities that had primarily been the father’s. And finally, politics excluded women because republican ideals deemed them unfit to make useful contributions, and they would be seen as less feminine and forgoing their rights as a woman if they tried to participate. Even so, many women believed that they could engage in state affairs and found methods such as satirical literature and petitions to discreetly express their views.
No other element of the Women’s Rights Movement has generated as much controversy as the debate over reproductive rights. As the movement gained momentum so did the demand for birth control, sex education, family planning and the repeal of all abortion laws. On January 22, 1973 the Supreme Court handed down the Roe v. Wade decision which declared abortion "fundamental right.” The ruling recognized the right of the individual “to be free from unwanted governmental intrusion into matters so fundamentally affecting a person as the right of a woman to decide whether or not to terminate her pregnancy.” (US Supreme Court, 1973) This federal-level ruling took effect, legalizing abortion for all women nationwide.
In 1973, in what has become a landmark ruling for women’s rights, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a woman’s right to an abortion. Ever since, individual states have adopted, altered, and/or mutilated the edict to fit their agendas – Texas included. However, the decision made by the justices in Roe v. Wade didn’t set clear cut, inarguable demarcation lines, which has allowed the fiery debate to consume the nation. Rather than establishing a legal ruling of what life is, or is not, the Supreme Court has remained silent on the issue.
Calhoun saw himself as the heir of Thomas Jefferson and the Republican tradition, but he was a reactionary Republican that rejected both the liberal philosophy of
Throughout American history, Justices’ way of thinking can often be attributed to Judicial activism. Because Justices decisions are similar through similar cases, it is fairly easy to predict what an individual Justice’s ruling will be. In most cases, a Justice will use judicial restraint over and over again because it is his/her personal opinion to translate the Constitution perfectly. This same process is done in the opposite manner as well. Over time liberal and conservative justices have ruled over cases with their own views as their deciding
Since Roe v. Wade, the issue of abortion has sparked a symbolic war based on the religious, personal, and moral beliefs of two opposing groups: anti-abortionists, who see abortion as murder; and pro-abortionists, who view it “as a symbol of women’s rights to control their own lives.” (Calhoun 220) Public opinion on the issue is no less divided: according to a 2003 poll, 49% of respondents described themselves as “more pro-abortion” while 45% were “more anti-abortion.” (Shaw) However, when the question concerns the legality of abortion, the percentages become skewed. In a 2000 survey, 53% believed that abortion should be legal while 35% believed the contrary. (Shaw) When these questions, in turn, become more specific, important differences occur. A poll by The American National Election Studies offered the following results: 42% of the sample felt “a woman should be able to obtain an abortion as a matter of personal choice”; 15% felt it should be legal “only after establishing need”; 29% believe it should be permitted “only in case of rape, incest, or when the woman’s life is in danger”; and a mere 12% felt is should “never be permitted.” (Shaw) An overwhe...