Women of the U.S. Supreme Court… Did you know??

We continue our celebration of Women’s History Month with yet another “Did you Know …”blog, this time looking at the women who’ve served in America’s highest court….

You probably know that Sandra Day O’Connor was the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court… but did you know that she grew up on an Arizona ranch, enrolled in Stanford University at age 16, wrote 645 Supreme Court opinions and was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2009.

O’Connor wrote the opinion for NY v. US (505 US 144)... Supreme Court Record & Briefs are available @ NYLI.. click here for more about our R & B collection…

You probably know that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the second woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court…but did you know….

she was the first faculty advisor for Women’s Rights Law Reporter, the oldest legal periodical in the United States focusing exclusively on the field of women’s rights law…

….. that RBG was the first female faculty member at Columbia L.S.?

that before serving on the Supreme Court, RBG tried 6 cases before the Supreme Court… and won 5. And did you know that 3 of these cases regarded granting widowers (men) the same right to Social Security and property tax benefits as widows (women) ?

And did you know that NYLI has over 20 eBook titles regarding Ruth Bader Ginsberg? Check out our catalogue — accessible on our webpage.. by clicking here!

You probably know that there are currently 4 women serving on the U.S. Supreme Court — Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagen, Amy Coney-Barret, and Ketanji Brown-Jackson….

But did you know that Sonia Sotomayor is the Supreme Court’s first Hispanic, the Court’s first Native of The Bronx, and first served as a Judge when appointed to the U.S. District Court (SDNY) by President George H.W. Bush. Or that Sonia Sotomayor has appeared on Sesame Street twice…

: Women of the U.S. Supreme Court… Did you know??

You probably know that Elena Kagen was President Obama second appointee to the Court, but did you know that Justice Kagen is known for her interest in popular culture? Her opinion in Kimble v. Marvel (576 US 446) describes patents as having “superpowers”. And Kagen concludes the majority opinion by quoting comic book creator Stan Lee:

“But stare decisis teaches that we should exercise that authority sparingly. Cf. S. Lee and S. Ditko, Amazing Fantasy No. 15: “Spider-Man,” p. 13 (1962) (“[I]n this world, with great power there must also come—great responsibility”). Finding many reasons for staying the stare decisis course and no “special justification” for departing from it, we decline Kimble’s invitation to overrule Brulotte.For the reasons stated, the judgment of the Court of Appeals is affirmed.”

You probably know that Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is a native of New Orlans the latest woman . But did you know that she is the only current member NOT to attend an Ivy League Law School? Justice Barrett graduated first in her class from Notre Dame L.S. And did you know that she was the first woman to occupy the Indiana seat on the 7th Circuit? You might know that Amy Coney Barrett is the the oldest of seven children? And did you know that she and her husband also have seven children!

You probably know that the latest appointee to the Supreme Court — Ketanjii Jackson Brown –is also the first African-American woman to serve on the Court. But did you know that Justice Jackson Brown is the first former Federal Defender to serve on the Court? You may know that Jackson-Brown was President Biden’s only appointee to the Court but did you know that she once clerked for Justice Breyer, whom she eventually replaced? You probably know that Justice Jackson-Brown went to both Harvard College and its Law School but did you know that her full first name Ketanji Onyika is an African name meaning “lovely one.” ? And that in December 2024, Ketanjii Jackson Brown made her Broadway debut with a one-night-only walk-on role in “& Juliet.”

Wow, that was a lot of trivia about the women of the U.S. Supreme Court! I hope that my readers not only learned a lot, but finished reading with an overall sense of both the wide variety of experiences and accomplishments of these six women.

And keep NYLI in mind for all sort of Supreme Court resources — current & superseded editions of the Supreme Court Practice …Supreme Court Records & Briefs.. and Constitutional materials….

Whether researching U.S. Supreme Court trends or Constitutional theory… The New York Law Institute is the resource… consider joining today… we are a click away !!