This post was submitted by Jamie Bence, one of WCF’s Summer 2009 Fellows.

With all the excitement surrounding Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination, its easy to ignore that the Supreme Court wrapped up its 2008-2009 term, which has some important decisions concerning women.  Our summary below, with links to each of the opinions:

• Fitzgerald v. Barnstable School Committee: The case involved the parents of a Massachusetts kindergartner claiming that their daughter was discriminated against repeatedly when an eight-year-old boy in her school required her to lift her skirt or pull down her panties.  The court ruled that students could pursue recourse for harassment in school claims under Title IX, which bars sexual discrimination in schools.
• Crawford v. Nashville and Davidson Counties:  Vicky Crawford was fired from her job of 30 years after she answered her employer’s questions during an internal investigation, and told them that she had been sexually harassed.  The Supreme Court determined that Ms. Crawford was protected under the anti-retaliation provision of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars discrimination in
  employment.
• AT&T Corp v. Hulteen: In this case, the court considered whether employers violated Title VII by not fully restoring service credit for pregnancy leaves taken before the AT&T Corp v. Hulteen: In this case, the court considered whether employers violated Title VII by not fully restoring service credit for pregnancy leaves taken before the 1978 passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act.  Justice Souter’s opinion held that AT&T is not required to include some pregnancy leaves when calculating pension benefits for its female employees.  In her dissent, Justice Ginsburg remarked that she would not dissent if the Pregnancy Discrimination Act were merely “an ordinary instance of legislative revision” of the Court’s construction of a text.   Ginsburg held, contrary to the ruling, that AT&T’s conduct was facially discriminatory, and actionable because it denies equal benefits post-PDA.
• Safford Unified School District #1 v. Redding: This case considered whether the Fourth Amendment prohibited public school officials from conducting a strip search of a student suspected of possessing a drug on campus in violation of school policy.  A thirteen-year-old honors student was rumored to have one or more ibuprofen pills, in violation of the school’s drug-free policy.  After an extensive bodily search which involved the partial removal of the girl’s undergarments, no drugs were found.  The court ruled 8-1, with only Justice Thomas dissenting.  Read here about how Ginsburg said gender changed her perspective on this case.

The justices can’t start a new term just yet though, as they have yet to decide on an election law case involving an anti-Hillary Clinton movie.  Stay tuned, and stay supportive of Sotomayor!

This post was submitted by Jamie Bence, one of WCF’s Summer 2009 Fellows.

Women Count Radio spoke to WCF-endorsed Ohio Secretary of state and 2010 Senate candidate Jennifer Brunner on Thursday night.  To listen to the show, click here.

Secretary Brunner is the first woman in Ohio to hold her position, and seeks to become the state’s first female senator.  The show points out how much work Brunner has done to reform the state’s election system, and how she sets herself apart from other candidates by making her goals for Ohio clear.

“If we tell our daughters, and girls and young women that they can be whatever they want to be, then somebody ought to prove it to them,” Brunner said during her interview.

Brunner was also featured in Elect Women Magazine this week.  Read “Breaking Up the Boys Club” here.

Last week, not only did I get to meet with Winsome McIntosh from Rachel’s Network, I also sat down with Marie Wilson from The White House Project. Their work and ideas couldn’t be more important or accurate:

If you could do one thing to change America for the better, what would it be? At The White House Project, we believe that if you add women to the ranks of leadership, you change everything.

I find myself describing Marie Wilson as a three-star general - rarely have I met such a fine strategic mind.

Her accomplishments at White House Project are inarguable. Her commitment to training candidates at all levels, across the country is just what we need. In fact, when I met with her she came with her suitcase, on her way to a training in Alabama.

When I first met with Marie, it was with her board president, Deborah Larkin, who is the nation’s leader on protecting Title IX, the Equal Opportunity in Education Act. I was very honored to have both Debra and Marie support me in my run for Congress.

Marie and I had a deep conversation about the critical need for more collaboration among what I like to call the “nifty fifty” (aka Sister Allied Organizations) – the over 50 organizations around the country that directly or indirectly work to elect more women who support choices.

I look very much forward to continued collaborative work with White House Project. We regularly send our She Should Run nominees to White House Project’s amazing Go Run political trainings.

Thank you, Marie, for your many great years of leadership (including 30 years heading up the Ms. Foundation) - we are all grateful to you.

This post was submitted by WCF’s Summer Fellows.

June flew by for WCF’s Summer 2009 Fellows!  We have been working on a variety of projects, including planning DC fundraisers and researching WCF-endorsed candidates.

Every Friday, we head out to explore Washington DC! We have recently visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History, Library of Congress and even took in a hearing the House of Representatives.  As WCF Fellows, we’re naturally all drawn towards women’s history, and there has been a lot of it to take in on our expeditions.  Take a look at a few of our pictures!

If this sounds like fun to you, and you are a college student, learn more about our fellowship program here or apply for a Fall 2009 Fellowship here!

As part of WCF’s efforts to collaborate with other Sister Allied Organizations, I’m meeting with as many great leaders as possible. I often say that I’m the new kid on the block, and have so much to learn from these women whom I admire greatly for their work.

Last week, I met with Winsome McIntosh and Kate Drummond from Rachel’s Network.

“Rachel’s Network’s mission is to promote women as impassioned leaders and agents of change dedicated to the stewardship of the earth.”

Their sister organization, Rachel’s Action Network, is “dedicated to promoting and supporting women leaders who are advocates for a healthy environment.” Rachel’s Network founder, Winsome McIntosh, is a certified rock star in the environmental world. She has taken her own philanthropic dollars and invested in ensuring that women who care about the environment support it by running for office. She has also undertaken the very brave work of assisting the women electeds on the Hill to connect with one another and develop relationships - so that more meaningful legislation can be drafted to make a difference. She is truly a visionary, which is not an easy role.

WCF worked with Winsome McIntosh on our online bundling project in 2008. It was a great experience for both her and us, because we’re equally committed to helping women influence social change by changing their contribution habits. Our Vote With Your Purse research shows that while women give the majority of charitable dollars in this country, they do no make the connection that investing financially in candidates - especially women candidates that care about the same issues - is essential.

But Winsome McIntosh understands this. Please go visit Rachel’s Network’s website and if the environment is something you care passionately about, this organization is a great fit for you.

WCF and I look forward to working with them in the future.