Women's Law Project

Women's Law Project
Name	Women's Law Project
Formation	1974
Type	Nonprofit legal advocacy organization
Headquarters	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Area served	United States
Focus	Civil rights, women's rights, gender discrimination

Women's Law Project

The Women's Law Project is a Philadelphia-based legal advocacy organization founded in 1974 that litigates, advises, and campaigns to advance women's rights, gender equality, and reproductive rights across the United States. The organization has participated in strategic litigation, policy advocacy, and public education connected to landmark decisions, federal statutes, and state-level reforms involving Title IX, Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Affordable Care Act protections. Its work intersects with national legal networks, nonprofit litigators, and academic centers to influence courts including the United States Supreme Court, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, and state courts in Pennsylvania and beyond.

History

The Project was established amid the 1970s surge in feminist legal organizations alongside groups like the National Organization for Women, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the National Women's Law Center. Early efforts engaged with litigation trends exemplified by cases from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, and federal district courts in Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Influences included precedents such as Roe v. Wade, Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, and Frontiero v. Richardson, while collaborating with entities like the American Association of University Women, the Legal Services Corporation, and university clinics at University of Pennsylvania Law School and Temple University Beasley School of Law.

Mission and Advocacy Focus

The organization's mission centers on eliminating sex- and gender-based barriers tied to employment, education, health care, and public accommodations. Advocacy areas align with statutory frameworks including Title IX, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, and enforcement mechanisms at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state human relations commissions. Coalitions and partnerships have included the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the American Bar Association's task forces on gender equity.

Major Litigation and Legal Impact

Strategic cases advanced by the Project have shaped interpretations of anti-discrimination law in arenas influenced by landmark rulings such as Griggs v. Duke Power Co., Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, and Olmstead v. L.C.. Cases have been brought in federal courts including the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and appealed to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Litigation themes include workplace sexual harassment, pregnancy accommodation, access to contraception under the Affordable Care Act, and public school equality under Brown v. Board of Education-era precedents adapted to gender claims.

Programs and Services

Services include direct legal representation, impact litigation, policy advocacy, amicus briefs, and community education. The Project produces training for advocates working with survivors of intimate partner violence that references protocols from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, collaborations with local providers such as Philadelphia Department of Public Health, and referral networks including Domestic Violence Legal Network members. It also provides know-your-rights materials for students navigating Title IX procedures at institutions like Penn State University, Drexel University, and Villanova University.

Organizational Structure and Funding

The Project operates as a nonprofit governed by a board of directors drawn from the legal, academic, and nonprofit sectors, with staff attorneys, policy specialists, and development personnel. Funding sources have included private foundations such as the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the William Penn Foundation, as well as individual donors, grants from state agencies in Pennsylvania, and cy pres awards from class action settlements. Collaborative funding and referrals have come through partnerships with the Public Welfare Foundation and the Open Society Foundations.

Notable Cases and Campaigns

The organization has participated in cases and campaigns addressing workplace discrimination, reproductive health access, and school equity, often filing amicus briefs alongside entities like the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and the National Employment Lawyers Association. Campaigns have engaged with state legislation in Pennsylvania General Assembly sessions and administrative rulemaking before bodies such as the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission. Influential litigation drew on precedent from cases like Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson and Price Waterhouse v. Hopkins, and coordinated advocacy aligned with national efforts around decisions from the United States Supreme Court and circuit courts.

Category:Legal advocacy organizations in the United States Category:Women's rights organizations Category:Non-profit organizations based in Pennsylvania