On this day, we celebrate the 101st anniversary of women’s suffrage in the United States. Last year we as a nation celebrated the centennial of this historic day, and to honor the occasion, the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library hosted a symposium. Titled “Votes for Texas Women,” the event focused on the history of women’s voting rights in the U.S. and the importance of inclusion in government and the law.
Mariann Sears, the first woman to serve as director of the Law Library, welcomed three distinguished women from the local legal community to share their expertise. Marie Jamison, a partner at Wright Close & Barger, shared her research into the history of the 19th Amendment and the progress made in the century that followed. Professor Renee Knake Jefferson, the Joanne and Larry Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics Director at University of Houston Law Center, discussed her book Shortlisted: Women in the Shadows of the Supreme Court. Justice Frances Bourliot, Fourteenth Court of Appeals Texas, talked about the importance of inclusion on the bench and her experience as an appellate justice.
A recording of the event is available for viewing on the Law Library’s website. Until September 22, 2021, licensed Texas attorneys can earn 2.0 hours of CLE and 1.0 hour of ethics by viewing the video, available here.
For additional information about the march for women’s equality at the polls, please visit our Further Reading page where you will find links to books, wesbsites, and other online resources that pay tribute to the struggle.
Finally, we at the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library support all efforts to encourage nonpartisan voter engagement. Please visit the following links for information on voting in Texas and Harris County: