Women in the Law

Diversity on state supreme courts shows little improvement, report finds

State supreme courts still fail to reflect the diversity of the communities they serve, according to an update published Friday by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law.

May 24, 2022 8:56 AM CDT

How to best accommodate neurodiverse lawyers and neurodivergent clients

During my first year of law school, I wanted to get involved in disability advocacy with other students and lawyers, primarily as it related to neurodiversity. Before law school, I was pretty entrenched in the autism advocacy scene: I spoke at my first conference when I was 13, wrote a book that was published while I was still in high school and had another book come out while I was in college.

May 19, 2022 8:37 AM CDT

Incoming justice Jackson refuses to say whether SCOTUS leak was good or bad

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson sidestepped questions about the U.S. Supreme Court's leak of the draft abortion opinion and picketing of justices’ homes during an interview earlier this week with the Washington Post.

May 18, 2022 11:35 AM CDT

California law requiring women on corporate boards is unconstitutional, judge rules

A California judge has struck down a law requiring public corporations headquartered in the state to include a minimum number of women on their boards of directors.

May 18, 2022 9:11 AM CDT

Are criticisms during SCOTUS confirmation hearings a disservice to viewers?

Everyone familiar with this column over the last five years knows its central focus is the intersection of law and pop culture. Most of my installments focus on various forms of media and my observations regarding their law-related issues. There are times when readers will suggest topics by reaching out via email, which I always love receiving. More often than not, though, it’s simply my love for pop culture in the law that allows me to derive legal topics from the media I’m ingesting.

Apr 27, 2022 9:51 AM CDT

Which law firms are tops for flexibility? For culture? Yale Law Women releases 2022 findings

There is some good news to celebrate, as women and people of color continue to progress in the legal field, according to Yale Law Women’s Top Firms Report for 2022.

Apr 21, 2022 9:09 AM CDT

US Capitol statues will honor Justices O’Connor and Ginsburg

The first and second female justices on the U.S. Supreme Court will have statues erected in their honor at the U.S. Capitol as a result of a bill signed into law last week by President Joe Biden.

Apr 19, 2022 2:15 PM CDT

With 53-47 confirmation vote, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will become first Black woman on Supreme Court

The U.S. Senate voted 53-47 on Thursday to confirm U.S. Circuit Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court. Jackson will become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court and the only justice with experience as a public defender. Jackson will replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, for whom she once worked for as a law clerk.

Apr 7, 2022 1:39 PM CDT

Barrett, Sotomayor comment on judging (the aim isn’t a policy result) and collegiality

In separate appearances this week, U.S. Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Sonia Sotomayor discussed the challenges of being a public figure, political polarization and collegiality on the high court.

Apr 6, 2022 3:19 PM CDT

ABA’s new CLE policy appears to comply with state ban on diversity ‘quotas,’ Florida Bar says

The ABA Board of Governors on Tuesday revised the association’s diversity policy for continuing legal education programs after the Florida Supreme Court banned course credit in the state for programs with panel “quotas.”

Apr 6, 2022 2:38 PM CDT

Nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson moves to Senate with some GOP support

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is expected to win U.S. Senate confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court this week, after a majority of senators voted Monday evening to move her nomination out of a deadlocked committee.

Apr 5, 2022 10:00 AM CDT

Diversity increases with law school deans, according to new AALS study

The number of women and people of color in law school dean positions is growing, but those hired through search firms were mostly white men, according to a new study released by the Association of American Law Schools. The American Law School Dean Study surveyed 197 deans of ABA-accredited law schools and 222 former deans who served between 2010 and 2020

Apr 4, 2022 11:01 PM CDT

Weekly Briefs: BigLaw firm settles ‘mommy track’ suit; ban on scraped court data challenged

Morrison & Foerster settles ‘mommy track’ suit Morrison & Foerster has settled with two remaining plaintiffs in a lawsuit contending that the law firm discriminates against lawyer moms. In a joint filing, plaintiffs Sherry William and Joshua Ashley Klayman joined the law firm in a March 22 stipulation of dismissal.…

Apr 1, 2022 3:00 PM CDT

First Latina justice confirmed to California Supreme Court

Judge Patricia Guerrero will become the first Latina justice of the California Supreme Court following her confirmation by the California Commission on Judicial Appointments earlier this week.

Mar 24, 2022 12:26 PM CDT

Jackson showed no signs of bias in criminal cases, ABA evaluators tell senators; uniform high praise compelled top rating

The ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary gave U.S. Supreme Court nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson its “well qualified” rating after receiving consistent praise from those who knew her and reviewed her writing, committee representatives told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

Mar 24, 2022 11:13 AM CDT