Westlaw allows users to search for all Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) opinions that have used the phrase “women are”. A recent search returned 95 opinions. The most recent opinion using the phrase “women are” was the Dobbs opinion written by Justice Alito and joined by the majority members of SCOTUS:
“Women are not without electoral or political power.” Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Org., 597 U.S. 215, 2277 (2022).
Instead of saying what women are in this quote, Justice Alito says what women are not. He says women are NOT powerless. He says that we have the power to vote and that we need to use our power to vote (he says “women”, but it is an issue for everyone). This is not the time for women or men to sit out. Think of your mom, sister, daughter, wife, or any other label applied to a human who no longer has the same rights as before June 24, 2022, the date of the Dobbs’ opinion.
If you believe that now is better than “before” for women – 100% agree! As evidence of what it was like when only white men could vote, here is a sample run-on sentence contained in a dissenting minority opinion from SCOTUS dated December 1, 1851, penned by Justice Wayne. This opinion contains the following quote:
“[T]hat the testimony of women is weighed with caution and allowances for them differently from that of men…” Gaines v. Relf, 53 U.S. 472, 551 (1851) (dissenting opinion).
In other words:
“[W]omen are inferior to men…” Id.
Context: This opinion was written three years AFTER Seneca Falls, and almost 70 years before women had the federal right to vote.
Be sure to use your power today and VOTE!
