Category Archives: Feminism and Law

Mary Anne Case, “All the World’s the Men’s Room,” 74 U Chi L Rev 1655 (2007)

Read it here, you will be absolutely riveted. Below are the first few paragraphs: “In August 2000, a panel of the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the dismissal of Audrey Jo DeClue’s complaint of hostile environment sexual harassment against … Continue reading

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New Study On The Economics Of “Street Prostitution”

University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and coauthor Sudhir Venkatesh conducted a study which is based on surveys conducted with prostitutes and pimps in Chicago neighborhoods and incident data from the Chicago Police Department. Their focus seems to be on … Continue reading

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Boy Denied Spot on Cheerleading Squad

Here’s an example of stereotyping that hurts youngsters of both genders: Bobby Thorn wanted to be the only boy on his school’s cheerleading squad, but that didn’t happen. The 13-year-old attends East Hardin Middle School in Glendale, but the controversial … Continue reading

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On Ladies’ Night, the Feeling May Not Be Right (Oh What a Night)

A lawsuit in federal court in New York (described here) seeks to force an end to Ladies’ Night. The defendants believe they have a meritorious position. I’ve never liked the whole idea, especially Ladies’ Day at the car wash. Why … Continue reading

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The Many Foibles of Chuck Rosenthal

Here’s a D.A. in a major jurisdiction who surely can’t be counted on to take protecting women seriously.   Story about Harris County (Houston, Texas) DA Chuck Rosenthal  here. -Ralph Michael Stein

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The Gender of Legal History?

The always wonderful Al Brophy is guest blogging at the Legal History Blog, and he has a post up expressing concern about an apparent gender imbalance among legal historians. –Ann Bartow

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Embryo Adoption?

I was at the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) conference last week and there, amid all legal publishing companies and on-line search services in the Exhibitor’s Hall, was a table for something called Embryo Connection, which works with the … Continue reading

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Tale as Old as Time: Blame the Victim

Earlier this week, Broadway actor James Barbour (pictured at  left) who played the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast”  pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges in lieu of defending against felony sex abuse charges arising out of the actor’s sexual … Continue reading

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Headlines for the New Year Meme: Generation 2

Feminist Law Prof David S. Cohen encouraged feminist bloggers to compile a list of headlines for the upcoming year (see David’s initial post here).   So here are my four headlines for the upcoming year: Headline I’m most fearful of … Continue reading

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New Year’s Resolution: To More Rigorously Critique Celebrity Culture

As this NYT article, “A One-Way Ticket To Disaster,” aptly demonstrates, one of the only areas of the entertainment industry where women are proportionately represented (at a minimum) is in “scandal coverage.” The story is even accompanied by a “timeline … Continue reading

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Happy New Year! The Headlines of 2008

It’s a few days early, but I figured I’d try something fun here in lieu of public resolutions. I encourage other feminist law professor bloggers to join in with their own. And, if I knew how to start one of … Continue reading

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Sex Slavery in the UK

“I was sold for 2,000 euros.” Edited to add: If you are a Supposedly Liberal Dood, the concept of a woman being sold is actually quite hilarious, apparently. –Ann Bartow

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Marina Angel, “Women Lawyers of All Colors Steered to Contingent Positions in Law Schools and Law Firms”

Abstract: This article examines the drastic organizational changes that have taken place in law firms and law schools in the last thirty years and how they have seriously disadvantaged women. Women have been almost 50% of law school graduating classes … Continue reading

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Opportunities for Legal Research: Facebook Edition

From the NY Times: Each day about 1,700 juniors at an East Coast college log on to Facebook.com to accumulate”friends,”compare movie preferences, share videos and exchange cybercocktails and kisses. Unwittingly, these students have become the subjects of academic research. To … Continue reading

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From the Department of Everything Gets Commodified: “Vajajay” as Trademark for Beauty, Hair Care and Personal Care Products?

An application was filed on November 27, 2007. (NYT account of the word here. Feministing reaction here.)

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“…a man has filed a complaint with the Nevada Human Rights Commission citing the Las Vegas Athletic Club for providing discounts to women and women-only spaces…”

And After Atalanta has a great post about this here. –Erin Buzuvis

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“Alexis Goggins – What we can do for her”

Overviews here and here and here. If only this was a unique story.   But yesterday right here in Columbia, SC a child was murdered by her mother’s boyfriend. –Ann Bartow

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“Huckabee’s record on women’s rights faces increased scrutiny”

I suppose if I were thinking of voting for him,  Huckabee’s endorsement of the Southern Baptist Convention’s stance that “a wife is to submit graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the … Continue reading

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N.Y. judge finds lawyer’s ‘objectionable conduct’ toward opposing counsel reflected gender bias”

From the NY Law Journal: A New York judge has ordered court supervision of a lawyer for “objectionable conduct” toward a female opposing counsel who he said had a “cute little thing going on” during a deposition. According to transcripts … Continue reading

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The Brandeis Brief

I’m teaching Muller v. Oregon (1908) on Thursday. For those who don’t recall it, it’s the case during the Lochner era in which the Court upheld a maximum hour statute because the statute applied solely to women. The opinion has … Continue reading

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Joanna Erdman, “In the Back Alleys of Health Care: Abortion, Equality and Community in Canada”

The abstract: The decriminalization of abortion in Canada ensured neither its availability nor accessibility as an integrated and publicly funded health service. While Canadian women are increasingly referred to or seek abortion services from single-purpose clinics, their exclusion from public … Continue reading

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University of Colorado Settles Title IX Case for $2.5 Million, Agrees to Significantly Improve Efforts to Address and Prevent Sexual Harassment

Press release reporting same via the National Women’s Law Center here. More at The Title IX Blog.

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“I am Constance”

Here. Watch the video, and then read the stories.

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Frontline’s “Sex Slaves”

Website here. It aired in February of 2006. Overview: “How five women from the struggling countries of Eastern Europe were tricked into sexual slavery, beaten by traffickers and pimps, forced to work to turn a profit — and finally escaped. … Continue reading

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“Columbia is . . . trying to make me an example to intimidate other women from seeking justice.”

That’s a quote by Economics Prof Graciela Chichilnisky in this WaPo article about her discrimination suit against Columbia University. Via Josie Brown, with thanks.

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Do You Suppose Hello Kitty “Shoulder Massagers” Are Legal In Alabama?

NYT article about them here. Previous post about stupid ass anti-vibrator law in Alabama here. –Ann Bartow

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Does Title IX Hurt Women?

The Chronicle of Higher Education interviewed Eileen McDonagh and Laura Pappano, authors of the new book Playing With the Boys: Why Separate Is Not Equal in Sports   (Oxford University Press, 2008).   According to the authors, Title IX “has … Continue reading

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Cynthia Bowman, “Street Harassment and the Informal Ghettoization of Women,” A Retrospective

I can hardly believe that this terrific law review article was published almost 15 years ago. I was reminded of it when I stumbled upon this Salon essay by Debra Dickerson in the course of some research. Dickerson wrote: … … Continue reading

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“GENDER AND CLASS: VOICES FROM THE COLLECTIVE”

This full-day program, GENDER AND CLASS: VOICES FROM THE COLLECTIVE, will be held at the AALS Annual Meeting in New York City, on Thursday, January 3, 2008. The conference will feature an opening plenary, eight topical sessions (Children, Work, Care, … Continue reading

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“Federal Judge Orders Anti-Abortion Extremist to Remove Threats to Clinic Staff from Website”

From Law.com: A federal judge ordered an anti-abortion activist to remove Web site postings that authorities said exhorted readers to kill an abortion provider by shooting her in the head. District Court Thomas Golden granted an injunction Nov. 8 seeking … Continue reading

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Much Ado About Pronouns . . .

In Connection Distributing v. Keisler, the Sixth Circuit struck down on First Amendment overbreadth grounds certain record keeping requirements of the Child Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act. I’m struck not by the specific ruling in the case, but by three … Continue reading

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Sex Trafficking Conference

April 2 – 4, 2008, South Texas College, McAllen, TX. More information here.

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Would Immigration Laws Be Different If Women Ruled The World?

This study suggests the answer is yes. And in today’s NYT, this article illustrates why that might be important. Entitled “Drawing a Line Between Enduring Harm and Legitimate Fear,” it explains that a culture of forced marriage and genital circumcision … Continue reading

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Sale of Breast Milk

From the AP, this story about a woman in Iowa: A   woman who doesn’t want her breast milk to go to waste has taken out a newspaper ad in hopes of selling it. Martha Heller, 22, of Tiffin, took … Continue reading

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On Consent and Mutuality

Genarlow Wilson was convicted under Georgia state law of “aggravated child molestation”  for receiving oral sex from a 15-year old girl who “willingly” performed it, according to facts undisputed at trial.   News reports including this one from the New … Continue reading

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Buliding A Better Profession: Ranking Law Firms On Diversity

From this site: building a better legal profession is a national grassroots movement that seeks market-based workplace reforms in large private law firms. by publicizing firms’ self-reported data on billable hours, pro bono participation, and demographic diversity, we draw attention … Continue reading

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“Not For Sale”

A video about prostitution by the European Women’s Lobby, via Witchy-woo.

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Sixth Circuit Holds Record Keeping Requirements Of 18 U.S.C. 2257 Unconstitutional

Read the entire opinion here. Below is an excerpt from page 6: … The legislative history of the Act reinforces a reading which does not limit the recordkeeping requirements to those in the business of creating the regulated images. Congress’s … Continue reading

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Genarlow Wilson To Be Released

Today the Georgia Supreme Court ordered the release of Genarlow Wilson.   Wilson was sentenced to 11 years in prison (with a mandatory 10-year sentence) for receiving, at a time when he was 17,  oral sex from a 15-year old … Continue reading

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Elizabeth M. Glazer, “When Obscenity Discriminates”

The abstract: When public indecency statutes outlaw gender nonconformity, obscenity discriminates; when movie ratings censor representations of sexual minorities, obscenity discriminates, and discriminates on the basis of their status as sexual minorities. This Article addresses obscenity doctrine’s infliction of first … Continue reading

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Blogging as a Feminist Legal Method

Back in May, we blogged here about  this great post by em at hermanifesta suggesting that blogging is a new feminist legal method.   The mainstream press has noticed young women’s embrace of the internet.   The October 13, 2007 … Continue reading

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Female Teachers Who Have Sex With Minors

It seems like reports of female teachers having sex with underage boys (and girls) are increasingly common.   Is it more reporting, more scrutiny or has there been a true uptick in this type of criminality?   Consider this article … Continue reading

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Prostitution In Atlanta, As Described By the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals

I encountered this 43 page opinion in U.S. v. CHARLES FLOYD PIPKINS, a.k.a. Sir Charles, ANDREW MOORE, JR., a.k.a. Batman during the course of some research, and I found it depressing how, even filtered through two layers of judges, the … Continue reading

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Two Porn Spammers Are Going To Jail

Via Information Week: Two men convicted of sending pornographic spam under the Can-Spam Act have been sentenced to serve more than five years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday.Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the criminal … Continue reading

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Justice Scalia – the Catholic not-Catholic Judge

Justice Scalia spoke at Villanova University yesterday and declared that, despite being Catholic, he is not, nor is there any such thing as, a Catholic Judge. I wasn’t at the event, so I have to rely on the local news … Continue reading

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“Public censure for judge who said lawyer had ‘nice butt'”

From the NY Daily News: When a local judge laughingly said in open court that criminal defense lawyer Ruth Boyer had “a nice butt,” she was not flattered. The sexist comment by LaGrange Town Justice Edmund Caplicki, made in July … Continue reading

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What should you do if you’re being sexually harassed at work?

“Some basic steps should be followed if you’re bringing a sexual harassment complaint. Here are 10 tips from Marcia Greenberger and her National Women’s Law Center on what to do if you feel you are a victim: 1. Tell the … Continue reading

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Forced Womb Removal in Child’s Best Interests?

LONDON, England — A mother is seeking to have the womb of her severely disabled daughter removed to prevent the 15-year-old from feeling the pain and discomfort of menstruation. Doctors in Britain are now taking legal advice to see if … Continue reading

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Online Magazine Jezebel Asks: “Ever Had A Boss Who Made You Hate Men?”

The post and hair raising comments in reply are here.

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Feminism, Race, and Single-Sex Education In Public Schools

During K-12 years (and in college as well) girls generally outperform boys, so it is understandable that some feminists would view pubilc single sex education proposals with suspicion. Certainly the fact that a recent, widely syndicated account of single sex … Continue reading

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