National Women's Law Center

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS & HEALTH- Engaged as amicus in major cases, including in the U.S. Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, demonstrating the harm to individuals' equality and economic security if the Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade; in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of an individual who faced disability discrimination; in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of abortion providers challenging restrictions; in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals on behalf of young people barred from getting gender-affirming care; and in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court to help challenge policies that keep patients from getting the abortion care they need. (To be continued in Schedule O.)- In September 2021, filed a class action lawsuit challenging Aetna's discriminatory practices against LGBTQI+ policyholders seeking insurance coverage of fertility treatments. - Responded to abortion bans, including helping to identify and recruit lawyers prepared to defend abortion access.- Educated policymakers and the public, which included NWLC President and CEO Fatima Goss Graves providing invited testimony in the September 2021 Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing "Texas's Unconstitutional Abortion Ban and the Role of the Shadow Docket; conducting trainings on speaking about abortion affirmatively and authentically; and participating in key briefings on a range of reproductive health and health equity issues. - Following the leaked draft of the Supreme Court's decision taking away the guaranteed nationwide right to abortion, published a legal analysis, launched a resource hub, and educated and engaged various stakeholders through media engagements, presentations, and briefings.- Provided targeted assistance to a range of state-level partners working to defeat harmful measures restricting or banning abortion and contraception while also pushing forward proactive solutions. - Worked closely with coalition partners to create the Liberate Abortion Campaign, made up of more than 150 national, state, and local reproductive rights, health, and justice organizations. The campaign was launched in December 2021 to build a world where abortion is equitable and available for all who need it, without shame or stigma.- Issued three critical reports on birth control. One identified insurance plan non-compliance with the Affordable Care Act's birth control benefit, which resulted in new guidance from the Biden administration to address the problems. Another highlighted new ways to expand no-cost coverage to individuals that currently lack it. And the third identified threats to the right to birth control, which proved prescient in light of the Dobbs decision.- Issued a groundbreaking report in January 2022 about the forced sterilization of disabled people and existing laws in 31 states plus Washington, D.C., that continue to allow this inhumane practice. - Assisted individuals navigating contraceptive coverage questions through the CoverHer hotline and a range of public education materials.- Produced a report with Mothering Justice in Michigan detailing how increased access to doulas, midwives, and birth workers is key to improving Michigan's Black and Indigenous pregnancy-related outcomes.

WOMEN'S LEGAL RIGHTSJudicial Nominations That Promote Diversity and Gender Justice- Provided information related to the needs and benefits of a judiciary that is more reflective of the country and in particular jurists with demonstrated records of gender equity, integrity, and fair-mindedness who reflect the gender, racial/ethnic, and sexual orientation diversity within our country and understand the impact of their decisions on the rights of women, people of color, LGBTQI+ people, and other people marginalized in our society. (To be continued in Schedule O.)- Led public education campaign following the historic nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman and public defender to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. - Engaged in public education and narrative work to showcase the extensive credentials of Black women lawyers who are often overlooked for career advancement and leadership roles.

INCOME SECURITY AND CHILD CARE- Throughout 2021, advocated for historic investments in child care and home and community-based services, paid leave, accessible and affordable housing, increased nutrition assistance, the establishment of universal pre-kindergarten, birthing justice, comprehensive paid family and medical leave, and the expanded Child Tax Credit-bringing tens of millions of women, families, and caregivers closer to a future where their work and sacrifices are truly valued and rewarded. (To be continued in Schedule O.)- Bolstered public education about the importance of thes investments, including collaborating with Public Private Strategies to poll small businesses and underscore the importance of investing in child care. In addition, our research team's housing and food insecurity analysis from Census Household Pulse Survey data was a key component in our advocacy for robust investments in housing and nutrition assistance.- On Valentine's Day 2022, placed a Cocoa Care-A-Van pop-up near the Capitol to offer free hot cocoa, to reemphasize the importance of child care workers, and to show support for care economy investments.- In November 2021, launched the Child Care for Every Family Network (CC4EFN/the Network), a first-of-its-kind group of patients, providers, and advocates dedicated to ensuring the United States builds a child care system that works for everyone. The Network convenes, supports, and activates stakeholders directly involved in and impacted by child care to build a transformed child care system.- Relaunched our campaign, "Tax the Patriarchy," alongside the release of our new report, Advancing Gender and Racial Equity by Taxing Wealth, and a Tax Calculator tool, which provides examples of how much revenue could be raised by changing tax policies. This campaign made the case that taxing wealth is a gender and racial justice issue, shifting the cultural narrative and helping move these ideas into the mainstream.- In July 2021 and August 2021, submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in support of stronger disparate impact liability under the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and more meaningful enforcement of HUD's duty under the FHA to affirmatively further fair housing. - Our work on Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) child care helped ensure that this important but overlooked part of our child care system was recognized and considered throughout the policy conversation about federal child care legislation. Through our new report, Sustaining Family, Friend, and Neighbor Child Care Beyond the Pandemic: Guidance and State Models, offered promising models for supporting FFN care. - Released the major report, At the Crossroads: State Child Care Assistance Policies in 2021, to assess the status of state child care assistance policies-where the gaps are, where progress is being made, and where further progress is needed. - Released a new report, Emergency Response: Changes in State Child Care Assistance Policies During the Pandemic, examining the new federal-and in some cases, state-funding for child care. Together with federal guidance, the report gave advocates tools to encourage state action, which made it possible for states to adopt and revise child care assistance policies to help families and providers weather the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.

WORKPLACE JUSTICE AND EDUCATIONAddressing and Dismantling Workplace Barriers - Litigated in the courts for equal pay for women in the workplace:- In July 2021, NWLC and the Women's Sports Foundation led an amicus brief in support of the professional soccer players on the United States Women's National Team ("USWNT") and their equal pay claims pending in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals- In February 2022, a district court made a final ruling in an important equal pay case, securing a win in our lawsuit against the Trump administration and protecting critical pay gap data reporting requirements, a provision impacting approximately 60,000 employers, and the approximately 63 million workers who they collectively employ.- In March 2022, filed a lawsuit in New Jersey federal district court against Zoetis, Inc., alleging the company significantly underpaid a female veterinary pathologist (by up to $100,000 a year) compared to at least two of her male colleagues who performed the same job but had far less experience. Dr. Yvonne Schulman, the plaintiff in the suit, seeks to hold Zoetis accountable for its illegal pay discrimination and gender discrimination.- In April 2022, helped to secure a historic victory in the Fourth Circuit that recognized, for the first time, the constitutional right of federal judiciary employees to work in an environment free from sexual harassment. - Provided technical policy assistance and coalition support to Georgia gender and worker justice advocates to help successfully pass legislation providing county and city workers protection against retaliation for speaking up about workplace sexual harassment. - Provided technical policy assistance to Maine gender justice advocates to help successfully pass state legislation limiting employers' abusive use of nondisclosure agreements to silence survivors of workplace discrimination, including sexual harassment.- Provided testimony to the Maryland legislature and technical policy support to District of Columbia gender and worker justice advocates to support the successful passage of legislation updating each jurisdiction's workplace harassment laws to ensure that they are responsive to the lived experiences of workers and to modern understandings of unacceptable harassment at work. - Raised awareness of the need for a federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act throughout 2021 and 2022, which ensures that workers who have a medical need for a temporary change in working conditions or duties as the result of pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions can get the reasonable workplace accommodations they need, so no one has to choose between a paycheck and a healthy pregnancy.- Provided technical assistance and analysis that helped lead to President Biden's signing of the "Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021" in March 2022, prohibiting employers and others from requiring individuals to bring sexual harassment or sexual assault claims through secret arbitration proceedings, rather than in court. - Released our report Resilient But Not Recovered: After Two Years of the COVID-19 Crisis, Women Are Still Struggling in March 2022, and a series of follow-up analyses in the months that followed, spotlighting our exclusive interview and survey data capturing the experiences of women two years into the pandemic, and profiles more deeply exploring the polling data to describe the particular experiences of four groups who were especially hard-hit by the pandemic, and who were failed by U.S. policies long before the pandemic began: Black women, Latinas, mothers, and LGBTQI+ women and nonbinary people.- Released monthly analyses of how women's unemployment rates and workforce participation rates were faring in the wake of the profound dislocations resulting from the pandemic, which helped drive public understanding of the economic impact of COVID-19.

TIME'S UP LEGAL DEFENSE FUND AND LEGAL NETWORK FOR GENDER EQUITYAssisting Women and Girls Who Experience Discrimination- The Legal Network for Gender Equity and TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund connected 5,910 individuals facing situations involving workplace sex harassment and/or related retaliation with legal help. - The TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund continued to provide support for legal and media assistance matters involving workplace sex harassment. For example, between the launch of the Fund and June 2022, the Fund awarded financial support to 330 legal matters involving workplace sex harassment and/or related retaliation. In addition, during this same time period, the Fund provided funding and connections to public relations professionals in 131 matters involving workplace sex harassment and/or related retaliation.- In many instances, the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund supported cases that resulted in important victories and the development of favorable law for survivors of workplace sex harassment and abuse. For example, in April 2022, a group of former McDonald's restaurant workers who brought a class-action lawsuit that alleges rampant sexual harassment by a manager won a $1.5 million settlement resolving the matter. The litigation was supported by the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund. The lawsuit was originally filed in November 2019 by Jenna Ries, a former worker at a McDonald's restaurant in Mason, Michigan, with representation by the ACLU Women's Rights Project and co-counsel at private law firms.

EDUCATIONAddressing Educational Barriers Faced by Women, Girls, and LGBTQI+ Individuals - Strengthened sexual harassment protections that had been weakened by the Trump administration's Title IX sexual harassment rule when, in July 2021, a federal district court vacated a part of the rule, which had made it much more difficult for a school to impose any sort of discipline on individuals alleged to have sexually harassed someone.- In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX, released a series of virtual panels on the successes of the last 50 years and the challenges ahead, spearheaded the Demand IX campaign with key partners calling for strong Title IX protections and enforcement, and with our partners in the National Coalition for Women and Girls in Education, published the report Title IX at 50, which celebrates the significant progress made thus far and provides a range of specific, concrete policy recommendations for education policymakers and school administrators to fully and finally eradicate sex discrimination in schools. - Leading up to the 50th anniversary of Title IX in June 2022, successfully advocated for a proposed rule restoring Title IX protections against harassment and strengthening protections for LGBTQI+ students and pregnant and parenting students; the proposed rule was released on Title IX's 50th anniversary. - In September 2021, led an amicus brief to the U.S. District of Minnesota in support of three Black and bi-racial students who were treated differently than white students including through discriminatory discipline and racial harassment while at Duluth Edison Charter Schools (DECS).- In October 2021, led an amicus brief to support Connecticut's Interscholastic Athletic Conference policy that allows K-12 athletes to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity. NWLC's brief focuses on why Title IX requires the inclusion of transgender women and girls in female athletics and the harms that would flow to all women and girls from the exclusion of trans women and girls.- In February 2022, filed motions to submit amicus briefs to the Sixth Circuit in support of 118 former Ohio State University male students, including student-athletes, who were sexually abused by Dr. Richard Strauss from 1978 to 1998. - Provided analysis and background information that helped lead to the passage of a new Louisiana law requiring school districts to provide excused absences, lactation accommodations, and child care assistance for pregnant and parenting students.- Appealed a district court's dismissal of our Title IX case on behalf of a Georgia high school student whose school expelled her in response to her report that another student had forced her into engaging in sexual activity on school ground.- Urged the Department of Education to make significant improvements to the Mandatory Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC). The CRDC is a crucial tool that schools, districts, local and federal policymakers, communities, and other stakeholders use to better understand the experiences of certain groups of students, particularly girls of color and students with disabilities, and make recommendations on how schools can provide safety and equal access to a quality education to all students.