Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2016

Abstract

The U.S. Feminist Judgments Project turns attention to the U.S. Supreme Court. Contributors to this volume challenge the formalistic concepts that U.S. Supreme Court opinions are, or should be, written from a neutral vantage point and that they are, or should be, based on deductive logic or “pure” rationality. When the project’s authors brought their own feminist consciousness or philosophy to some of the most important (and supposedly “neutral”) decisions and assertions about gender-related issues, the judicial decisions took on a very different character. Feminist consciousness broadens and widens the lens through which we view law and helps the decision maker overcome the natural tendency to see things the same way or do things “the way they’ve always been done.” Through this project, we hope to show that systemic inequalities are not intrinsic to law, but rather may be rooted in the subjective (and often unconscious) beliefs and assumptions of the decision makers. These inequalities may derive from processes and influences that tend to reinforce traditional or familiar approaches, decisions, or values. In other words, if we can broaden the perspectives of the decision makers, change in the law is possible.

Publication Citation

Introduction to the U.S. Feminist Judgments Project, in Feminist Judgments: Rewritten Opinions of the United States Supreme Court (Linda L. Berger et al. eds., 2016).

Share

COinS