The Supreme Court: The Rise of Women on the Bench

The American War of Independence was part of an ongoing constitutional crisis that goes back at least as far as the Magna Carta and continues to this very day. It includes milestones such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the creation of the Supreme Court, the Bill of Rights, the growth of the role of the Court, the failures of the Court that contributed to the Civil War, the Civil War, other Amendments to the Constitution, and the great changes in the role of the Court during the last 150 years in American life. In the last five decades, much of that change has been reflected in and caused by the growing influence and role of women in society and on the Court. This course will trace the development of the Supreme Court, with particular focus on the first two women members: Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Arthur J. O’Neill is a resident of Newport, RI. He retired as an attorney after 47 years of practice in Connecticut. In 2021, he retired after 33 years as a state representative in Connecticut. In the legislature in 2004, he co-chaired the Select Committee of Inquiry that investigated Governor John Rowland for possible impeachment. Governor Rowland resigned during the investigation. Arthur O’Neill was also a member of the Connecticut Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee and the Commission in 2001 and 2011. He chaired the Connecticut Law Revision Commission, the Connecticut Legislative Regulations Review Committee, and served as Ranking Member of the Judiciary Committee. He received a B.A. from the University of Connecticut and a J.D. from Rutgers University Law School.