Sisters in Law

Much progress has been made in the women’s rights movement in recent decades; so much so that it is often difficult to remember how far we have come.

Linda Hirshman highlights the harsh realities of women lawyers’ lives and careers while telling the story of Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg—two women who did more than perhaps anyone else in their time to increase and improve the rights of women. As the first two women appointed to the United States Supreme Court, O’Connor and Ginsburg were incredibly effective and influential lawyers. Not only did they litigate for and model the possibility for women to succeed, but they did so as pioneers—Ginsburg as one of nine women in her law school class, and O’Connor as one of four. For anyone interested in the United States Supreme Court, women’s history, or both, Hirshman’s tale of O’Connor and Ginsburg is a fascinating one.Oxonian Review