U.S. Supreme Court Library

A woman didn’t graduate from law school until 1870, when Ada Kepley graduated from Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law. Women didn’t serve as lawyers until 1896, when Arabella Mansfield was admitted to the Iowa bar. A woman didn’t serve on a federal court until 1928, when President Calvin Coolidge appointed Genevieve Rose Cline to the U.S. Customs Court. Men dominated the legal field until well into the 20th century. In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re spotlighting five women who broke down barriers and became trailblazers for women in law.

December 15 marks Bill of Rights Day, commemorating the 1791 ratification of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, collectively known as the Bill of Rights. Today, these rights—freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to due process, right to a fair trial, etc.—are engrained in American culture as pillars of liberty and democracy. However, crafting a Bill of Rights was highly controversial at the time. Take a trip back to the early days of American history with us while we explore the creation and passage of the Bill of Rights using resources you can find in HeinOnline.

Sandra Day O’Connor passed away at the age of 93. Known as the first woman to serve as a United States Supreme Court Justice, she held the balance of power on the court for almost two decades.
O’Connor, recognized as a moderate conservative, was also well-known for her meticulously researched viewpoints. A true trailblazer for future women of the high court, she was admired for the mark she left in a male-dominated field.

In a poll conducted prior to the October 2023 term, results indicated the Supreme Court approval rate is nearing an all-time low. Over the past few months, criticism over undisclosed trips and gifts from wealthy benefactors to some justices has grown from both the public and Congress. Amidst these allegations, both Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan openly endorsed the push for an ethics code. On Monday, the Supreme Court announced the first-ever code of conduct governing the ethical behavior of its nine justices. The newly released code was signed by all nine justices.

Happy Supreme Court season, to those who celebrate! Oral arguments in the Court’s first case of the year commenced on October 2, and the 2023-2024 Supreme Court term is well underway. As the Justices hear cases, now is a perfect time to read up on some of the theories of constitutional interpretation that jurists use when analyzing statutory law and the Constitution.

On May 5, 1925, Tennessee high school teacher John Scopes was charged with the crime of teaching his students about the science of human evolution. The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes would be argued two months later, with two of the most famous attorneys in the United States on opposing sides. The Scopes Monkey Trial, as it came to be known, was a national spectacle, and the first trial to be broadcast via the new medium of radio.

In a 5-4 decision,[1] the Supreme Court recently ruled against the Navajo Nation in the tribe’s request for the federal government to assess and meet their needs for water. The Navajo live in the arid Southwest, which has been suffering from long-term drought and the impacts of climate change—however, the Court’s decision determined that the U.S. government is not responsible for helping the Nation secure water access. Let’s take a deeper dive into this case, Arizona v. Navajo Nation, using resources within HeinOnline, including our Indigenous Peoples of the Americas: History, Culture & Law and Water Rights & Resources databases.

Back in October we highlighted five critical issues that were being argued in the Supreme Court during the 2022-2023 term. Since then, the Court has issued major decisions that have sparked a flurry of media attention and ignited discussions surrounding the upcoming election. From voting rights, which lie at the heart of our democratic process, to the First Amendment, which safeguards our freedom of speech and religion, these issues resonate deeply with our society. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the implications of these landmark decisions.

On January 18, 1984, the United States Supreme Court heard arguments in State of New York v. Robert Uplinger and Susan Butler, a case that would have a momentous impact on LGBTQ+ rights in the State of New York. The origins of the case date back to 1981 in Buffalo, hometown to HeinOnline. Keep reading to explore one of the most important, and lesser known, events in LGBTQ+ legal history: the arrest and trials of Bob Uplinger.

The legal right to marry is something that heterosexual couples may take for granted, but for the LGBTQ+ community, the fight for same-sex marriages to be legalized and federally recognized took decades of activism, protest, and court cases.