History of Women on the Supreme Court

History of Women on the Supreme Court Established by Article III of the U.S. Constitution, the Supreme Court of the United States first met on February 2, 1790 and heard its first case in 1792. It would take nearly two centuries another 189 years - - before this august yet single-sex body would more accurately reflect the composition of the nation it presided over with the advent of the courts first female associate justice. In its 220-year history, only four women justices have served on the Supreme Court: Sandra Day OConnor (1981-2005); Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1993-present); Sonia Sotomayor (2009-present) and former U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan (2010-present). The latter two, nominated by President Barack Obama, each earned a distinct footnote in history. Confirmed by the U.S. Senate on August 6, 2009, Sotomayor became the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court. When Kagan was confirmed on August 5, 2010, she changed the gender composition of the court as the third woman to serve simultaneously. As of October 2010, the Supreme Court became one-third female for the first time in its history. The Supreme Courts first two women hailed from significantly different ideological backgrounds. The courts first female justice, Sandra Day OConnor, was nominated by a Republican president in 1981 and was regarded as a conservative pick. The second female justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, was the choice of a Democratic president in 1993 and widely viewed as liberal. The two women served together until OConnors retirement in 2005. Ginsburg remained as the lone female justice on the Supreme Court until Sonia Sotomayor took the bench in the fall of 2009. Ginsburgs future as a justice remains uncertain; a February 2009 diagnosis of pancreatic cancer suggests she may need to step down if her health worsens. Next page - How a Promise on the Campaign Trail Led to the First Female Justice Although its far from common knowledge, the appointment of the first female justice to the Supreme Court hinged on a pollsters findings and a former beaus support. A Presidents Promise Ronald Reagan biographer Big Pledge, Little Interest One Out of Four She had fewer legal credentials than the other three women on the list. But she had the backing of Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist (whom shed dated while both were at Stanford Law School) and the endorsement of Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater. Smith liked her as well. As biographer Cannon notes, Mr. Reagan never interviewed anyone else. Next page - Sandra Day OConnor: From Hardscrabble Childhood to Trailblazing Legislator OConnors charm belied the hardscrabble life of her early years. Born March 26, 1930 in El Paso, Texas, OConnor grew up on an isolated ranch in southeastern Arizona without electricity or running water, where cowboys taught her how to rope, ride, shoot, repair fences and drive a pickup. With no school nearby, OConnor went to live with her maternal grandmother in El Paso to attend a private academy for girls, graduating at age 16. OConner credits her grandmothers influence as a factor in her own success. An economics major at Stanford Univerity, she graduated magna cum laude in 1950. Legal Wrangling Led to Law School No Room in the Old Boys Club When the Army drafter her husband she followed him to Frankfurt where she was a civilian lawyer in the Quartermaster Corps. Afterward, they moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1957, where OConnor again received little interest from established law firms, so she started to start her own with a partner. She also became a mother, giving birth to three sons in six years and only stepping away from her practice after her second son was born. From Mother to Majority Leader Subsequently appointed state senator to fill a vacant seat, she was elected for two more terms and became majority leader - the first woman to do so in any state legislature in the U.S. She moved from the legislative branch to the judicial when she was elected to serve as judge on the Maricopa County Superior Court in 1974. In 1979 she was nominated to the Arizona Court of Appeals and in 1981 to the Supreme Court. Not A Wasted Nomination Her ascension to the highest court in the land also had one small side benefit to women - Mr. Justice, the form of address previously used in the Supreme Court, was amended to the more gender-inclusive single word Justice. Health Concerns Her bout with cancer was an experience she did not publicly discuss for a number of years. Finally, a speech in 1994 revealed her frustration with the attention the diagnosis brought, the ongoing scrutiny of her health and appearance, and the media speculation over the possibility of retirement. A Husbands Illness Next page - Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Confronting Sex Discrimination Personally and Professionally The second woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was nominated by President Bill Clinton during his first term in office. She was his first appointment to the Court and took her seat on August 10, 1993. She had just turned 60 on March 15 of that year. Motherless Daughter, Sisterless Sibling Caregiver and Law Student what it felt like While in law school, she also raised a preschool daughter and supported her husband throughout his treatment for testicular cancer, attending his classes, taking notes, and even typing papers he dictated to her. When Martin graduated and accepted a job at a New York law firm, she transferred to Columbia. Ginsburg made the law review at both schools shed attended, and graduated at the top of her class from Columbia. Rebuffed Yet Resilient Champion of Womens Rights Second Female Nominated Quiet Strength and Tenacity Health issues have dogged her tenure as a Supreme Court Justice although she has never missed a day on the bench. In 1999 she was treated for colon cancer; a decade later, she underwent surgery for early-stage pancreatic cancer on February 5, 2009. See also - Sonia Sotomayor: Supreme Courts First Hispanic and Third Female Sources:Cannon, Lou. When Ronnie Met Sandy. NYTimes.com, 7 July 2005.Kornblut, Anne E. Personal and Political Concerns in a Closely Held Decision. New York Times, 2 July 2005.Ruth Bader Ginsberg Biography Oyez.com, retrieved 6 March 2009.Sandra Day OConnor BiographyOyez.com, retrieved 22 April 2009.Sandra Day OConnor: The reluctant justice. MSNBC.com, 1 July 2005.The Justices of the Supreme Court Supremecourtus.gov, retrieved 6 March 2009.Times Topics: Ruth Bader Ginsberg NYTimes.com, 5 February 2009.