More than 30 organizations of women lawyers and future legal professionals, led by three notable U.S. organizations of women lawyers, submitted an amicus brief in support of respondents in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health, which could overturn Roe v. Wade and the almost 50 years of constitutional jurisprudence guaranteeing reproductive freedom to women.<\/p>\n
Led by Women Lawyers On Guard<\/strong>, National Association of Women Lawyers,<\/strong>\u00a0and the Women\u2019s Bar Association of the District of Columbia<\/strong>, and submitted by Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP as counsel for amici, the brief lays out what is at stake if the Supreme Court overturns or weakens Roe. Women and their families, including women attorneys, have relied heavily on the constitutional guarantee of the ability to decide whether to have an abortion when exercising autonomy over their lives, health, families and futures. Loss of the rights guaranteed by Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey would decimate women lawyers\u2019 ability to advance their careers and achieve gender parity in the legal field.<\/p>\n Co-leads of this brief issued this joint statement regarding the brief:<\/p>\n Women Lawyers On Guard Inc.<\/a>:<\/strong> \u201cWomen Lawyers On Guard is proud to co-lead this amicus brief explaining why the Supreme Court should uphold Roe and Casey under the doctrine of stare decisis. A key factor of the stare decisis analysis is societal reliance. Women\u2019s reliance on the reproductive rights guaranteed by Roe and Casey has forever changed society and enabled women to make great strides in the fight to achieve equality. But even with reproductive freedom, progress toward gender parity in the legal profession has been agonizingly slow. Women attorneys often pay a price for having children and many of them leave the legal profession altogether due to childcare responsibilities. This cost is largely borne by women, not men. If women lose the ability to plan their families, all of these gains will quickly be in serious jeopardy. Roe and Casey must be upheld because they were correctly decided and because we simply cannot go back to a time where women have no freedom to make intimate decisions about their own bodies and lives,\u201d said Cory Amron, President, Women Lawyers On Guard; Elaine Metlin, Co-chair, Amicus Committee, Women Lawyers On Guard.<\/p>\n National Association of Women Lawyers<\/a>:<\/strong> \u201dThe National Association of Women Lawyers is proud to co-lead this amicus brief with more than 30 organizations of women lawyers and future legal professionals. Women\u2019s reliance on the reproductive rights guaranteed by Roe and Casey has enabled women to make great strides in the fight to achieve equality. Without bodily autonomy, including the legal right to decide whether, when, and by what means to have the number of children they desire, women cannot be fully equal under the law or professionally. The negative consequences that would result from overturning well-established legal precedent implicate every facet of women\u2019s lives and health,\u201d said Karen Richardson, Executive Director of the National Association of Women Lawyers.<\/p>\n Women\u2019s Bar Association of the District of Columbia<\/strong>: \u201cThe Women\u2019s Bar Association of DC proudly joins this brief to support the well-established legal precedent that women have a constitutional and fundamental right to privacy, which long has included access to reproductive health care including abortions,\u201d\u00a0 said Sadina Montani, Immediate Past President of the Women\u2019s Bar Association of the District of Columbia and partner at Crowell & Moring.<\/p>\n “We hope the Court recognizes the role Roe and Casey have played in the daily lives of millions of women across the nation. These precedents have served as monumental building blocks to achieving gender parity in our country. We are proud to have contributed to this imperative effort,” said Upnit Bhatti, co-chair of the WBA’s Amicus and Advocacy Committees work; Managing Associate, Supreme Court & Appellate practice group, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.<\/p>\n Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP<\/a>, <\/strong>counsel for amici<\/em><\/strong>:<\/strong> \u201cWe are proud to partner with these leading organizations supporting women in the legal profession and to bring the unique perspective of women lawyers and law students to the critical issues at stake in this case,\u201d said Heather Schneider, partner at Willkie and lead counsel on the brief.<\/p>\n \u201cThis case raises serious issues that significantly affect women\u2019s constitutional rights and the advancement of women attorneys. We hope our brief sheds light on the impact of this case on women in the legal profession,\u201d said Mia Guizzetti Hayes, counsel at Willkie and counsel of record on the brief.<\/p>\n The brief specifically highlights the central role that Roe\u2019s and Casey\u2019s constitutional right to bodily autonomy has played in the advancement of women in the law, as well as the steep hurdles still faced by female lawyers generally\u2014and especially female lawyers of color and those with children\u2014that will only become harder to surmount if that right were revoked or weakened. While it is true that there are many more women lawyers and judges today than there were when Roe and Casey were decided, there is still discrimination against women\u2014especially mothers and women of color\u2014in the legal profession. For example:<\/p>\n The amicus brief is also signed by nearly 30 other organizations dedicated to supporting women lawyers and law students.<\/p>\n ###<\/strong><\/p>\n Women Lawyers On Guard Inc.<\/strong><\/a> National Association of Women Lawyers<\/strong><\/a>\n
\nWomen Lawyers On Guard Inc. (WLG) is a national, non-profit organization that seeks to harness the power of lawyers and the law to preserve, protect, and defend the democratic values of equality, justice, and opportunity for all. WLG focuses on securing the equal treatment of women by challenging laws and practices that discriminate against women, including gender-based violence and harassment and attempts to curtail women’s reproductive rights.<\/p>\n
\nThe mission of the National Association of Women Lawyers is to provide leadership, a collective voice, and essential resources to advance women in the legal profession and advocate for the equality of women under the law. Since 1899, NAWL has been empowering women in the legal profession, cultivating a diverse membership dedicated to equality, mutual support, and collective success. To advance its mission, NAWL participates as amicus curiae before the United States Supreme Court and other federal courts in cases pertaining to women’s equal treatment under the law.<\/p>\n