Justice Stevens’ Legacy for Women’s Legal Rights

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.

Document(s):

JusticeStevensFactsheet.pdf