Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has the final say on interpreting the Constitution and laws that affect the legal rights of women. We’re working to confirm Justices who understand the impact of the law on the lives of women and their families and whose experiences and perspectives will add diversity to the Court.

Highlights

Fact Sheet | Supreme Court Preview: 2013-2014 Term

October 2, 2013
During the 2013-2014 Term, the Supreme Court will review several cases that concern legal rights of importance to women—including access to abortion, equal opportunity in education, protection against housing discrimination, and the ability to use the Equal Protection Clause to challenge discrimination in public employment. In addition, the Court will review an important case involving the President’s ability to fill vacancies on a body that protects workers. Finally, the Court may decide whether for-profit businesses can refuse to provide employee insurance coverage for contraceptives based on asserted religious objections. The decisions in these cases may have a significant impact on women’s rights in all of these important arenas.
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Fact Sheet | Supreme Court Review: 2012-2013 Term

July 10, 2013

The 2012-2013 Supreme Court Term witnessed a number of blockbuster cases affecting women’s rights, from affirmative action to workplace protections to voting rights to marriage equality. The results in those cases were decidedly mixed, with some historic victories, but also, unfortunately, heartbreaking setbacks. The National Women’s Law Center participated in most of these cases. This fact sheet explains key cases and the potential impacts of their decisions.

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Fact Sheet | The Supreme Court's Decision in Fisher v. UT Austin will be Particularly Important for Women of Color

October 3, 2012

In October 2012, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin to decide whether UT Austin may consider race as a factor in admissions in addition to their race-neutral Top Ten Percent Plan.  This fact sheet explains how the Court's decisions will potentially impact on women of color.

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Fact Sheet | Hollingsworth v. Perry and United States v. Windsor: The Supreme Court Should Presume Laws Discriminating On the Basis of Sexual Orientation are Unconstitutional

March 25, 2013

This term, the Supreme Court will decide United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry. Windsor challenges Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (“DOMA”), which prohibits the federal government from recognizing marriages between same-sex couples, and Hollingsworth challenges the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8, a state constitutional amendment that revoked same-sex couples’ right to marry in that state.  This fact sheet explains why Section 3 of DOMA and Proposition 8 should be subjected to heightened scrutiny under the Constitution and struck down.

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More Resources

Fact Sheet | The Supreme Court: Why It Matters to Women

June 02, 2010

The Supreme Court’s decisions have a direct impact on the lives of women and their families across the country every day. The Supreme Court decides cases involving legal issues of critical importance to women, including whether they have a constitutional right to privacy; how effective federal anti-discrimination protections will be designed to apply at work and at school; how stringently the constitutional guarantee of equal protection will be enforced to ensure that the government does not discriminate on the basis of sex; the scope of Congress’ ability to enact health, safety and economic and social welfare legislation; and the extent to which individuals can enforce their rights in court.

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Fact Sheet | A Supreme Court that Respects Precedent, Impact of Law on People

June 01, 2010
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Fact Sheet | Justice Stevens’ Legacy for Women’s Legal Rights

April 15, 2010

 

During the nearly 35 years that Justice Stevens sat on the Supreme Court, he played a crucial role in ensuring that women have legal rights and protections that have enriched not only women’s lives but the fabric of our country. When Justice Stevens joined the Court in 1975, women faced blatant discrimination in all walks of life – state statutes gave married men the right to control marital property, public universities like the Virginia Military Institute excluded women as unfit, and women were eliminated from juries on the basis of gender. Justice Stevens’ tenure on the Court spanned many landmark decisions affecting critical legal rights for women, including protections against sex discrimination and sexual harassment at work and at school, important health and safety regulations, and fundamental constitutional rights to privacy and equal protection under law.

 

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Fact Sheet | The Supreme Court: Every Vote Counts

March 12, 2010

For three decades, the Supreme Court’s interpretations of constitutional principles and federal statutes have played a vital role in protecting the rights of women to privacy, to equal protection of the laws, to basic health and safety, and to freedom from discrimination in the workplace and in school. This fact sheet details the impact that the Suprem Court's decisions will have on women, emphasizing that each decision is an important one.

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Legal Briefs & Testimony | Amicus Brief: Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee

August 29, 2009

In this brief, the National Women’s Law Center and the American Civil Liberties Union urged the Supreme Court to determine that the existence of a remedy for sex discrimination claims under Title IX did not displace the ability to enforce constitutional claims for sex discrimination through a suit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983.  In its 2009 opinion in Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee, the Supreme Court agreed that a plaintiff alleging sex discrimination in public education can bring both Title IX and § 1983 claims.

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