Female state supreme court justices grew from 10 in 1980 to 106 by 2007

Evidence

Table 3.2 summarizes the backgrounds of state supreme court justices. The most striking changes in recent years have involved the demographics of state courts. The first woman appointed to a state supreme court was Florence Allen, who served on the Ohio Supreme Court from 1922 to 1933. No other female justice was appointed until 1958. In recent decades, however, the number of women serving on state supreme courts has increased dramatically. In 1980, there were 10 female justices; by 1996, 66; and by 2007, 106. The appointment of Judge Sandra Gardebring in 1991 made the Minnesota Supreme Court the first to have a female majority. — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 455

Categorization

• QUESTION: A 31-year gap between the first woman justice (1922) and the second (1958) is startling; worth checking what social or institutional forces kept the pipeline closed so long.
• XREF: connects to: Demographic representation is a third competing value in judicial selection — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 591; Women’s state supreme court service surged from 10 to 106 justices after 1980 — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 455

Broader Connections

• Demographic representation is a third competing value in judicial selection #exemplifies (0.75) — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 591