CWSL Professor Cited in Memorial of Sandra Day O’Connor

In the aftermath of Sandra Day O’Connor’s passing last week, The 19th published an article memorializing the first woman to serve as a Supreme Court justice. The article cited CWSL Professor Hannah Brenner Johnson and her co-author Renee Knake Jefferson, whose book Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court (2020) tells the story of the nine women who were shortlisted for the Supreme Court prior to O’Connor’s nomination and the systemic biases that prevented them from being seriously considered for the position. 

In the excerpt from Shortlisted, Professors Brenner Johnson and Knake Jefferson are quoted saying, “O’Connor fit the norms most comfortable for what one scholar calls ‘Benchmark Men,’ i.e., men ‘who remain the primary decision makers and prefer to appoint women who espouse values most like their own. That is, they should be White, able-bodied, heterosexual, middle class and politically right of center.’” The diversity of the Court has expanded since President Reagan delivered on his campaign promise and selected O’Connor as the first woman to serve on the Court.

On the passing of Sandra Day O’Connor, Professor Brenner Johnson remarked, “The death of any Supreme Court Justice is tragic, but it’s even more significant given O’Connor’s status as the first woman selected from a shortlist to serve on the United States Supreme Court. She leaves behind an incredibly powerful legacy.” 

You can read The 19th’s article here and learn more about Shortlisted here.