The 19th Amendment at 100 and Women in the Law: Conversation with Judge Jones, Judge Elrod, and former Judge Debra Ibarra Mayfield

The Houston, Dallas, and Austin Federalist Society Chapters are pleased to invite you to join us as we celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and accomplishments of women in the law, particularly the recent confirmation of Justice Amy Coney Barrett, with our distinguished panel of women judges.  The Nineteenth Amendment was passed in 1919, ensuring the right of women to vote after decades of advocacy for its passage.  The constitution as drafted left suffrage undefined, but as states adopted their own constitutions by 1807 all states withheld the right from women.  During the reconstruction era, the women’s suffrage movement accelerated in momentum, resulting in several unsuccessful attempts to gain the right to vote through litigation and ultimately success through the constitutional amendment process.

Our panelists will discuss the history of women’s voting rights and the origins of the Nineteenth Amendment, the suffrage movement and key leaders in ratification efforts, and the legacy that the suffrage movement has left in American law today. They will also discuss the confirmation of Justice Amy Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Barrett’s jurisprudence, and how Justice Barrett is likely to shape the court in the future. The panel will also cover key legal developments that have impacted women’s rise to the top of corporate America, and also to the bench.

Featuring:

• Judge Edith H. Jones -  Chief Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod - Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
• Debra Ibarra Mayfield - Senior Counsel for Enterprise Products, and former Judge on Texas’s 190th District Court