Bradwell v. The State of Illinois

1. Bradwell v. The State of Illinois Matthew Hale Carpenter Supreme Court Justices-Bradley and Miller

2. Basic Facts • Myra Bradwell was born in 1831 in Vermont • Married James Bradwell who was a law student in Illinois • Apprenticed as a lawyer in her husband’s office • Established Chicago Legal News • Passed Illinois bar exam and applied for the Illinois Supreme Court bar-she was denied because of her gender

3. Main Points • Women were not recognized as a natural person • “The court ruled 8 to 1 that no one has a right to pursue a specific career and that ‘person’ was never intended to include women.” • “Justice Bradley offered a concurrence which dismissed the notion of equality between men and women as silly and even dangerous.”

4. Main Points cont’d • Women, by nature, are unfit to be defenders. • “The natural and proper timidity and delicacy which belongs to the female sex evidently unfits it for many of the occupations of civil life.” • “Man is, or should be, woman’s protector and defender.” • “The paramount destiny and mission of woman are to fulfill the noble and benign offices of wife and mother. This is the law of the Creator.”

5. Historical Significance • Bradwell broke many barriers for women and their rights to achieve success • This event was one of many that began the women’s rights movement and the 19th Amendment

6. Should women have the right to practice law?