Trailblazing Women—Justice
We hope you’ve enjoyed our focus on trailblazing women during this 2023 History month. Women have also blazed trails in the field of law and justice, including outstanding women who broke barriers and ultimately served on the US Supreme Court, including:
First women to serve—Sandra Day O’Connor
First Latina woman to serve—Sonja Sotomayor
First African-American woman to serve—Ketanji Brown Jackson
Until 1981 when President Reagan appointed Sandra Day O’Connor to the Court, only men had held positions on the Court, and all but two had been white men. During his presidential campaign in 1980, Regan vowed to appoint a woman to the next open position if he was elected.
He nominated O’Connor, a Stanford Law graduate who finished third in her class but was unable to find a position as an attorney. She was, however, offered a job as a legal secretary which she turned down. After following her husband’s military service in Europe, they settled in Arizona where O’Connor began her public service in Phoenix. She served as the majority leader of the Arizona Senate—the first American woman to hold that office in any state. From there she became a judge and ultimately served on the Supreme Court for 25 years.
She retired from the court due to health issues, but didn’t stop there. She founded an organization dedicated to encouraging young people to study civics. In 2009, President Obama awarded her the Medal of freedom.
She famously said,” And I tell people that was great to be the first to do something, but I didn’t want to be the last.”
And she wasn’t the last. She was joined by Ruth Bader Ginsburg who, while not a “first” had tremendous impact on the Supreme Court and on the lives of women everywhere. When she died, I joined thousands of mostly women at the Supreme Court building—many of whom brought their daughters as a tribute to a great woman who made such a difference in our world.
Sonja Sotomayor is the first woman of Hispanic descent to be selected to serve on the court. I love the story that she decided to become a lawyer while watching Perry Mason on TV. Through her incredible hard work, she earned degrees from Princeton and Yale. While she has issued many notable rulings, none is more beloved to sports fan than when, as a federal judge in the Southern District of New York, she issued an injunction against Major League Baseball in 1995 that effectively ended a strike that had caused the World series to be cancelled. She is passionate about helping young women reach their potential, and in her free time writes and speaks to kids around the world.
Our last trailblazer is the newest member of the Supreme Court and the first African American woman appointed to the court. Ketanji Brown Jackson was in private practice following three clerkships in federal courts. One thing that sets her apart from her colleagues in the court is that she is the only one with experience as a public defender. We look forward to her making her mark on our world.
Visit www.supremecourthistory.org for more stories and facts on these trailblazing women.