Lady Justice: Women of the Court

Being a state Supreme Court justice is about much more than writing opinions on important cases. Justices are also responsible for overseeing the court system in their state.

Part of this usually involves finding a passion and trying to affect change where they think it’s needed, whether that’s working to help children in foster care, studying the reasons behind an ever-growing prison population, or trying to keep their colleagues safe when job stress and substance abuse seems to be affecting their ability to best serve the public.

The women were recently invited to speak at the Arkansas Bar Association’s annual conference, where they discussed this and other topics, like technology in the court. 

This is the last episode of Season 1. We'll return with Season 2 in September! 

In some countries, Supreme Courts write an opinion as a whole court. After all, the law is the law and there should be one unified interpretation of it, right? Well, that’s not how things operate in the Unites States. Court decisions recognize openly that the law is not always clear and certain. 

A justice can write a dissent to explain why they think the majority got it wrong or a concurrence, meaning they agree with the Court’s decision but not necessarily the steps to getting there. The lady justices discuss the process, which is also known as writing separately. 

For years, lawyers have struggled with issues like depression, anxiety, and substance abuse at a rate higher than the general population. The women discuss how, historically, there’s been a hands-off approach by the profession to addressing these issues, but that this is changing in some big ways.

We hear from a national expert, Bree Buchanan, who is leading a movement toward recognizing the many benefits of assisting lawyers, law students, and judges with mental health and substance abuse issues and the high cost of turning a blind eye. Plus, the justices share thoughts on promoting civility.

Episode Resources:

The Path To Lawyer Well-Being

The Prevalence of Substance Use and Other Mental Health Concerns Among American Attorneys

Stress and Resiliency in the U.S. Judiciary

Where Are We on the Path to Law Student Well-Being?

In this episode, the justices examine the lives of women legal crusaders you may not have heard about. Also, the latest numbers are out about the state of women in law firms, which calls for a discussion examining why it might be that women go to law school at the same rate as men yet there remains a significant lack of women in law firm leadership.

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Episode Resources:

On this episode, examining the female figure that has become the moral face of the court system: Lady Justice. We see statues of Lady Justice in courthouses across America - the scales, the blindfold, the sword. The women discuss what the imagery means to them personally after some reflection and scholarly reading. 

We’ll also hear from Yale Law School professor and author Judith Resnik, who has spent years studying the history of Lady Justice and the various ways she is portrayed throughout the world. And, it’s a new year and that means new female faces on our nation’s state courts! We’ll introduce you to some of them.----more----

Episode Resources:

Representing Justice by Judith Resnik and Dennis Curtis

Image on cover: Lady of Justice as depicted on the Victoria County Court in Melbourne, Australia 

Other images from the book: 

Lady of Justice, Jan R. Mitchell, 1993, Almeric L. Christian Federal Building, St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands

Justice, Romuald Kraus, 1938, United States Federal Courthouse and Post Office, Newark, New Jersey

Lady Justice, Diana K. Moore, 1996, Warren B. Rudman Federal Courthouse, Concord, New Hampshire

Justice, Alfredo Ceschiatti, 1961, Supreme Federal Tribunal, Brasilia, Brazil

Logo of the Judicial Council of the National Bar Association, 1971 

Most Supreme Court cases are decided based on written briefs submitted by attorneys. But sometimes the Court grants oral argument in a case and attorneys have the opportunity to speak directly to the justices in the courtroom. Justices generally know where they stand going in to oral argument. Can oral argument be so effective it changes the mind of a justice and the outcome of a case? 

The women take questions during a virtual event by the Women’s Chapter of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association. Topics include women in leadership and balancing a high-demand career with the responsibilities of motherhood. Plus, holiday memories and good reads!

When a party loses in court, they have the right to appeal the ruling and ask a higher court, known as an appellate court, to review the case. But what happens next? The women provide a behind-the-scenes look at the process. 

The women justices discuss their individual journeys to the bench. 

The women discuss the valuable contributions of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.