Author Archives: Bridget Crawford

“Law and Poverty” is a “Waste of Time,” Scalia Says

From the Chicago Sun-Times: On the eve of today’s 221st anniversary of the U.S. Constitution’s adoption, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told conservative lawyers in Chicago that the University of Chicago Law School : where he used to teach … Continue reading

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They Always Eat the Boy

“Why do they always eat the boy?”  That was the (not-really-serious) question my witty colleague Sasha Greenawalt whispered to me when someone mentioned the case of  Regina v. Dudley and Stephens,  14 Q.B.D. 273  (1884), that staple of first-year Criminal … Continue reading

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“Space is Still Available! Register TODAY! Hotel Room Block Deadline is September 15!”

That’s the headline of an e-mail I received today from the ABA’s Section on Law Practice Management. It looks like that section is trying to fill seats at its Women Rainmakers Mid-Career Workshop    to be held in Tucson, Arizona, … Continue reading

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Steinem, “Palin: Wrong Woman, Wrong Message”

From the LA Times, this editorial from Gloria Steinem: Palin’s value to those patriarchs is clear: She opposes just about every issue that women support bya majority or plurality.  ***  I don’t doubt her sincerity.  ***  Being a hope-a-holic, however, … Continue reading

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Equal Access Does Not Mean Equality

Christina Hoff Sommers, who once said Women’s Studies departments were campus centers for “homely women,” is at it again — this time on the web for the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research: Here we come to the central … Continue reading

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Insomnia and Gender

Gayle Green’s article,  Why We Can’t Sleep: It’s Not Just in Our Heads, from the  Spring 2008 issue of Ms. Magazine posits a biological basis for insomnia: A 2007 poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that 67 percent of … Continue reading

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Latest Version of Feminist Periodicals: A Current Listing of Contents

The Spring 2008 issue of Feminist Periodicals: A Current Listing of Contents  is available  here, courtesy of the Women’s Studies Librarian at the  University of Wisconsin. -Bridget Crawford

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Health Care Providers and the Conscience Exception

“I learn as much from my students as they learn from me.”  I’ve heard that line a few times (well … less frequently from law faculty members than from my friends who are secondary education teachers), and always suspected that … Continue reading

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Testation, Testicles and Ritual Practice

Today in Wills, Trusts & Estates class, we discussed the difference between dying testate (with a will) and intestate (without one).  We talked about the origins of the word testation, which the OED gives as “from  testrto witness, make a … Continue reading

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Door du Jour

Ever notice how a law school has a unique “office door” culture?  Apart from the institutional open door/closed door vibe, schools also seem to have unique institutional personalities in terms of what professors do (or do not) post on their … Continue reading

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Using Women’s Bodies …

…to serve sushi?  I jest not.  Today’s New York Times has a story — “Fish and Hips” —  describing the practice.  According to the Times, JILLIAN TALBOT, a 26-year-old Californian, lay very still on a long, elegant table draped with … Continue reading

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CFP: (Short) Reviews of Books Concerning Women and the Law

Call for Book Reviews: Women and the Law   Proposals Due September 25, 2008   The editors of Pace Law Review invite proposals from scholars, researchers, practitioners and professionals for contributions to a special book review issue to be published … Continue reading

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ABA Video/Essay Competition, “Gender Diversity: Have We Solved the Problem?”

The ABA Commission on Women in the Profession has announced its Video/Essay Competition on the topic,  “Gender Diversity: Have we solved the problem? If not, where do we go from here?”   The competition is open to law students and … Continue reading

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The AALS Speaks

This just in from the AALS: Statement Adopted by AALS Executive Committee August 15, 2008 The AALS 2009 Annual Meeting will take place January 6-10, 2009, in San Diego, California. Several years ago the Association booked rooms at the San … Continue reading

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CFP: Lehigh University Conference “Feminism in Practice”

From the FLP Mailbox, this CFP for a conference on “Feminism in Practice” to be held at Lehigh University (PA) on November 15, 2008:   The 2008 Feminism in Practice Conference, hosted by Lehigh  University’s Women’s Center and Office of … Continue reading

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Legal Writing Institute Will Not Host Event at San Diego’s Grand Hyatt

Ruth Anne Robbins, President of the  Board of Directors  of the Legal Writing Institute, has notified the AALS that it will not hold its customary  award ceremony at the AALS annual meeting, if the meeting is held at the Grand … Continue reading

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Self-Immolation as an Escape from Sexism?

Confronted with a horrible existence at the bottom of society – teenage girls married off to 80 year old men without their consent, for example – some of Afghanistan’s women choose to escape a sexist world by killing themselves.   … Continue reading

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Call for Entries – Catharine Stimpson Prize for Outstanding Feminist Scholarship

From the FLP Mailbox: Call for Entries:   The Catharine Stimpson Prize for Outstanding Feminist Scholarship Deadline: September 20, 2008 The University of Chicago Press is pleased to announce the competition for the 2009 Catharine Stimpson Prize for Outstanding Feminist … Continue reading

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Gilbert on Denial of French Citizenship to Niqab-Wearing Woman

Via the Immigration Law Profs listserv,  Feminist Law Prof Lauren Gilbert (St. Thomas University School of Law) shared her thoughts on the French Council of State’s decision to deny French citizenship to a Muslim woman on the grounds of “insufficient … Continue reading

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TMI: Bashir’s Below-the-Belt Blood Rush

New York Magazine reports here  on ABC News Journalist Martin Bashir’s address to the  Asian American Journalists Association in Chicago on July 25.  Bashir told the audience,  “I’m happy to be in the midst of so many Asian babes. In … Continue reading

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Happy Birthday, Isabel Allende!

Happy Birthday to author Isabel Allende, who turns 66 today.  In  this video of Allende’s presentation for TEDTalks, she discusses  women, passion and feminism.   Her books The House of the Spirits (1982) and Eva Luna (1987) have stayed in … Continue reading

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Imagining Sadie ~ Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander

“Imagining Sadie”is a short film produced by Penn Law students Haley Goldman, J.D. 2009; B.B. Liu, J.D. 2008; and Melissa Mao, J.D. 2009.   It tells the story of Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander as she exists in the imaginations of … Continue reading

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Female Athletes Show Their Skin

Dave Zurin at the Huffington Post spoke to  Dr. Mary Kane (Kinesiology, Minnesota) about the  appearance of Danica Patrick in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition: As for the young men excited to see Danica in leather, spread out on a car: … Continue reading

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Posted in Feminism and Culture | 3 Comments

Female Olympians, Raise Your Backsides

Speaking of Olympians, today USA Gymnastics announced the members of the 2008 U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastics Team. Coverage here. I find the accompanying team photo (at top, above) quite annoying. Why are the athletes in the front row bending at … Continue reading

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Hair Matters There

Very clever feminist ad modification via AdBust (here). -Bridget Crawford

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Women for Parity

A group of feminist activists has launched a new blog, “Women for Parity” at http://www.womenforparity.net.  Bloggers there offer political commentary on women’s issues.  Welcome to the blogosphere, Women for Parity! -Bridget Crawford

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H&R Block and Taxing Civil Unions

To follow-up on an earlier post, the Los Angeles Times is reporting here that H&R Block has agreed to reimburse civil union couples who began filling out their tax returns online only to be told that the company’s software did … Continue reading

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DOMA and the Census

Last Friday, Gary Gates of UCLA’s Williams Institute had an interesting op-ed piece in the Los Angeles Times. In the piece, he makes an argument for why the Census Bureau should not alter the responses of married same-sex couples to … Continue reading

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Centennial Events at New England School of Law

This year the New England School of Law celebrates its centennial.   It was founded in 1908 as a women’s law school.   The school’s website (here) lists   some of the great events planned to mark the occasion, including … Continue reading

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Nervous Nellie Was Not a Woman

Today I found myself using the descriptor “Nervous Nellie” in an attempt to self-deprecate when reminding a colleague to do something (as in, “I’m probably being a Nervous Nellie, but I just wanted to check whether you had done …”). … Continue reading

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Posted in Sociolinguistics | 1 Comment

Serving Up Gender Stereotypes With Those Fries

On a trip to the suburbs, I experienced the McDonald’s drive-thru [sic].  Admittedly it was not my finest parenting hour.  And I almost became unhinged when asked by the cashier,  “Do you want a ‘girl’ toy or a ‘boy’ toy … Continue reading

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Snip, Snip, Snip and a Couple of Lah-Dee-Dahs

 The August 2008 issue of Details magazine reports on a new “trend” in young men receiving vasectomies.  In  “The Birth-Control Extremists” Richard Morgan writes: [L]ately, vasectomies are becoming the province of young, single men who claim to be tired of … Continue reading

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What Makes a Feminist Law Firm?

An article in  today’s  New York Lawyer, entitled  Forming A “Feminist Law Practice,”  describes an unusual Canadian law firm:   While more women may be starting their own firms, Galldin Liew of Ottawa has taken the unique step of calling … Continue reading

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Get Yer Tokens Here

I went yesterday to Major League Baseball’s All-Star Fanfest here in New York City at the Javits Center.     There were several”attractions”like virtual batting cages (if you didn’t mind waiting on line for over an hour) and the opportunity … Continue reading

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Criminalizing Same-Sex Marriage

The  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel  had an interesting story (here) last week with a warning for Wisconsin same-sex couples who are contemplating going to California to marry: Wisconsin makes it a crime for its residents to go across state lines and … Continue reading

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“Startlingly Sexier” Conservative Feminists?

Camille Paglia has published “Feminism Past and Present: Ideology, Action and Reform” in the Spring/Summer 2008 issue of Arion: A Journal of the Humanities and the Classics.    Here’s her explanation of the current state of “feminism:” Two technological innovations:cable … Continue reading

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What if Title IX Applied to Math and Science Courses?

Debra Rolison of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory thinks that would be a great idea.  Christa Hoff Sommers,  font of anti-feminist soundbites and Resident Scholar at  the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, takes  a different view: While Title … Continue reading

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Kotkin on “Gender and the Elite Law Reviews”

Feminist Law Prof Minna Kotkin (Brooklyn) has posted to ssrn her article, “Gender and the Elite Law Reviews: An Empirical Study of Authorship.”   Here is the abstract: Have you ever stood in the faculty library looking at the covers … Continue reading

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More Ground to Break at Marquette Law School

  Last week Marquette Law School sent a postcard announcing, “More than 800 people . . . picked up a shovel to break ground for the future home of Marquette University Law School.”   Marquette received a generous gift from … Continue reading

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CFP: “Mother” Issue of Women’s Studies Quarterly

From the FLP mailbox, this call for papers for a special “MOTHER” issue of the Women’s Studies Quarterly:   Guest Editors: Nicole Cooley and Pamela Stone We have entered a motherhood moment–from celebrity mom baby-bump sightings to recent televised debates … Continue reading

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Selfishness, Sexual Desire and Women’s Empowerment

From the Chronicle of Higher Education, this article on “The ‘Right’ Sexuality for Girls” by Sharon Lamb (Psychology, Saint Michael’s College): Healthy sexuality for a woman thus got defined as an alternative to objectification, victimization, and female passivity. And healthy … Continue reading

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Death of Louise Halper

From the FLP mailbox, this sad news of the death of Professor Louise Halper of Washington & Lee Law School:   Louise Halper, professor of law and director of the Frances Lewis Law Center at Washington and Lee University, died … Continue reading

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Ventry on Gay Marriage and Income Taxation

Feminist Law Prof Dennis J. Ventry, Jr. (UC Davis) discusses gay marriage and taxation here. Professor Ventry is a fantastic all-around tax scholar and an important contributor to the discourse on issues of taxation and the family. -Bridget Crawford

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Lt. Gen Ann E. Dunwoody Appointed First 4-Star General

Ann E. Dunwoody has been appointed the first female 4-star general in the U.S. Armed Services.   CNN has the story here.   H/T to Ralph Stein -Bridget Crawford

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Teaching Materials Network

From the FLP mailbox. this announcement of the “Teaching Materials Network,” a list of those willing to share teaching materials: The AALS New Law Professors Workshop is this week, and among the resources our new colleagues will be told about … Continue reading

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“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”and Its Disproportionate Impact on Women

The  New York Times  includes a  story  on the front of its national section this morning about how women were discharged under the military’s”Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”policy in disproportionate numbers last year. Although women made up only 14% of Army … Continue reading

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Preventing Forced Marriages

I’m visiting my in-laws in the D.C. area this weekend and came across this  fascinating story on the cover of the Washington Post this morning. The story follows a British diplomat in Pakistan whose job it is to rescue women … Continue reading

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Scholar-in-Residence Programs for Study of Jewish Women’s and Gender Studies

The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, a research center at Brandeis University, offers a variety of fellowships (including stipends + office space): The HBI Scholar-in-Residence Program provides scholars, artists, writers and communal professionals the opportunity to be in residence at Brandeis University while … Continue reading

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Good Income Tax News on Loan Repayment Assistance Programs

Some law schools have set up Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs) for graduates who do public-interest work.  Under these programs, some or all of the graduate’s student loans may be forgiven after a certain number of years of public-interest lawyering. … Continue reading

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E-Version of UW’s Feminist Periodicals

Phyllis Holman Weisbard (pictured at left), the excellent Women’s Studies Librarian at the University of Wisconsin, and her staff have made publicly available here an electronic, searchable version of Feminist Periodicals: A Current Listing of Contents.  This is an invaluable … Continue reading

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