Justice & Law

Biden Administration Releases Proposed Changes to Trump’s Anti-Survivor Title IX Rule: ‘An Important Step Towards Restoring Vital Protections for Students’

PUBLISHED 6/30/2022 by and

On June 23, the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the Biden administration proposed new rules on sexual harassment and assault, reversing the Trump administration’s 2020 rollback of survivors’ rights. The new rules restore the Obama administration’s broad definition of sexual harassment and require schools to take prompt and effective actions to end sexual assault and harassment. The proposed rules also extend discrimination protection to LGBTQ students and clarify protections for pregnant and parenting students.

Against All Odds, She Became a Lawyer

PUBLISHED 6/30/2022 by

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson just officially took her seat on the Supreme Court, making her the first-ever Black woman to serve as a justice in the Court’s 233-year history. 

Just 65 out of the 175 active judges on the federal circuit courts are female, and just 37 percent of state Supreme Court seats. Only 14 states have gender-balanced Supreme Courts. Out of the 115 justices that have served on the highest court of the United States, just six were women—four of whom are currently on the bench, including Jackson. In the face of recent events regarding the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we must change the face of justice in America through intentional actions and data-backed best practices to elect and appoint more women to judicial offices.

‘A Whole Generation of People Who Don’t Know How To Take Care of People’: Training Ob-Gyn Medical Residents In a Post-Roe World

PUBLISHED 6/30/2022 by

A peek into the first class of medical professionals applying to residency in a post-Roe America.

“My personal take is that it’s really hard to learn in an environment of scarcity and an environment of fear,” said Dr. Lauren Thaxton, an ob-gyn professor at the University of Texas Dell Medical School. “And I think that those are two things that are very realistic in some of these restrictive states.”

In Absence of Roe, Healthcare Providers Have a Professional and Ethical Duty to Step Up

PUBLISHED 6/29/2022 by

As the human rights crisis in the U.S. intensifies, every healthcare worker has a role in protecting people who need abortion care. We must empower ourselves, patients, and the public with accurate, actionable information to access the resources they need. Not acting in this crisis goes immediately against one of the first oaths we made joining the health professions: Do no harm.

War on Women Report: Roe v. Wade Overturned; FINA Bans Transgender Women; Sexism and Racism at the Heart of Jan. 6 Attacks

PUBLISHED 6/28/2022 by

The War on Women was in full force under the Trump administration. While the battle may look different today, we are staying vigilant in our goals to dismantle patriarchy at every turn. The fight is far from over. We are watching.

This week: the United States Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade; sexism and racism enter the Jan. 6 Attack hearings; FINA bans transgender women from participating in women’s swimming competitions; and more.

Watch Live: Experts Break Down a Supreme Court Term Unlike Any Other

PUBLISHED 6/28/2022 by

Today the U.S. approaches the end of a Supreme Court term unlike any other—leaving many to wonder about the Court’s commitment to equality, inclusion and nondiscrimination.

On July 6, Michele Goodwin will be joined by leading experts in constitutional law, criminal justice, women’s rights, administrative law, the Second Amendment, and free speech; together, they will give an overview of this term, what’s at stake, and what comes next.

Democrats in Congress Introduce Bill to Crack Down on Fake Clinics and Anti-Abortion Disinformation

PUBLISHED 6/28/2022 by

On June 23, members of Congress introduced the Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act to crack down on false advertising related to abortion services by “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs). CPCs are anti-abortion organizations that masquerade as abortion clinics in order to interfere with access to reproductive healthcare by disseminating inaccurate, misleading and stigmatizing information about abortion and contraception. Despite appearances, most CPCs do not employ licensed medical personnel or provide referrals for birth control or abortion care.

In the House, the lead sponsors of the SAD Act are Reps. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), In the Senate, the bill is led by Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). “No one should have to question that the person they are seeking medical advice from is actually a doctor or that information is accurate, objective and complete,” said Maloney.

What Was Justice Alito Thinking?

PUBLISHED 6/28/2022 by

When Justice Samuel Alito did the final proofreading of his majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, he must have felt a great sense of moral rectitude and satisfaction at the fulfillment of a half-century-long mission.

But he should also have been a bit nervous about the thinness of some of his assertions and the vulnerability of some of his legal analysis. That last reading might have gone something like this.

The Supreme Court Clearly Doesn’t Care About Women’s Lives

PUBLISHED 6/27/2022 by

If we pay attention to those whose lives have already been destroyed by an inability to access abortion, we can see our collective future and the depths the challenges to come. Centering the voices of those who have struggled to get care—even as we recognize the implications of Dobbs on everyone—allows us to predict at least three immediate consequences of last week’s decision.   

The Overturn of Roe Is a Social War

PUBLISHED 6/27/2022 by

In overturning Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court justices have signaled that this is not a legal fight anymore but a social war. They are now poised to go after birth control, gay rights, sodomy laws and who knows what else.

Republicans have already told us that if they take control of Congress in the fall—which, unless there is a broad public outcry, they certainly could—one of their first orders of business will be to pass a law making abortion illegal throughout the country. There will be no safe state for a woman.