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The story of Florence Allen, the first woman judge in the United States, and women’s transformation of the legal system.
Florence Allen was the first woman judge many times over—first federal appellate court judge, first elected to a state supreme court, and first shortlisted for the U.S. Supreme Court. During Allen’s forty years on the bench, the country swung between progressivism and conservatism, with passage of a constitutional amendment for women’s voting rights, two world wars, the Red and Lavender Scares, and the New Deal.
Amid these changes, women used their new political standing to transform the courts, first by becoming active agents in the justice system, and then by developing theories of public law, social justice, and fair process. Exploring Allen’s fascinating legal life, Tracy Thomas recounts the larger history of how women infiltrated the legal system as judges, lawyers, jurors, and legislators to demand a more representative system of justice for the welfare of all.
Tracy Thomas is Seiberling Chair of Constitutional Law and Director of the Center for Constitutional Law at the University of Akron School of Law.
Contents
Introduction
1. Integrating the Legal Profession
2. Demanding Suffrage and Citizenship
3. Judging the Trial Court
4. Battling for Progressive Reform on the State Supreme Court
5. Legislating for Peace and Welfare
6. Challenging the Brethren
7. Reshaping Federal Law for Economic and Social Justice
8. Shortlisting for the U.S. Supreme Court
Epilogue: The Difference of Gender
Acknowledgments
Notes
Bibliography
Index