PRAISE FOR SISTERS IN LAW

“Linda Hirshman has written a thorough, accurate, and most readable account of the careers of the two first women to serve as Justices of the Supreme Court. Laymen as well as lawyers will learn a great deal, not only about these two special people, but about today’s Court as well.”

This superb book unpacks the remarkable achievements of the first two female Supreme Court justices, “sisters in law,” indeed. In addition to its clever title, this book offers an illuminating analysis of the ascent by Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg to the United States Supreme Court. A lawyer and women’s studies scholar, Hirshman (Victory: The Triumphant Gay Revolution; A Woman’s Guide to Law School) excels in portraying the enormous obstacles encountered by women attempting to enter the legal field.

Part of what makes Hirshman such a likable writer — in addition to her wit and ability to explain the law succinctly without dumbing it down — is her optimism.

"Hirshman (Victory: The Triumphant Gay Revolution, 2012, etc.), an attorney who has argued before the Supreme Court, counts herself among the countless beneficiaries of that trend, having in just a few short years gone from an outlier as a woman in the world of law to 'a pretty normal player.'... An intelligent, evenhanded look at a changing society and its legal foundations."

“This sharply-drawn double portrait of the first and second women on the U.S. Supreme Court and the way their lives and legal philosophies complement and contrast with each other is riveting. Linda Hirshman has the unique ability to think like a law professor and write like a journalist.”

“Sisters in Law is a riveting page-turner that brings each of these formidable women to life while deftly comparing and contrasting their very different ways of adding a modern perspective to the highly resistant Supreme Court. It will make you laugh; it will make you cry; and it will make you seethe with frustration at how long and hard the road to women’s equality has been. Above all, it will inspire and delight. A prodigious achievement and an important contribution to the history of our times.”

“Linda Hirshman’s joint biography of Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg is fascinating and informative but is also joyful -- a stirring reminder of how these two pioneers for women’s rights have advanced the cause in their singular but complementary ways.”

From opposite ends of the nation and opposite poles of the political spectrum, as the first and the second woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, Justices O’Connor and Ginsburg have advanced issues of gender equality and stand as icons of the women’s movement. Hirshman, an attorney who has argued before the court, details the separate journeys the two took to the nation’s highest court. O’Connor, not as overtly feminist as Ginsburg, worked her way through the state legislature of Arizona, supporting conservatives including Barry Goldwater. Ginsburg was a card-carrying member of the ACLU, arguing case after case, building toward legal support for equal rights for women in groundbreaking legal battles. Hirshman intertwines the stories of the two women, their very different backgrounds and personalities, and how they managed the delicate balancing act of supporting women’s issues and challenging the old boy’s club of the legal profession from law school to the Supreme Court. Hirshman details their impact on momentous decisions on issues including abortion, affirmative action, sexual harassment, employment, and women in the military. This is an absorbing history of the struggle for women’s rights in the legal arena and the two extraordinary women who helped to advance those rights.