Law School Celebration To Honor Female Alums

Some of the most politically powerful women in the country will gather at the Law School this weekend for Celebration 40, an event honoring 40 years of women graduates of the Harvard Law School.

As part of the celebration, women graduates of the Law School--including Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and U.S. Representative Patricia Schroeder (D-Col.)--will receive awards for their dedication to the legal profession and public welfare.

Ginsburg will speak at a noon luncheon today and Schroeder will deliver the keynote address, "When a Woman President?" at a dinner this evening.

The event, which is expected to draw 500 graduates, students and guests, will include a conference on women's issues. Workshops will explore how women lawyers affect the formation of public policy and, in turn, how public policy affects women's lives.

With registration of women steadily approaching 50 percent, interest in women's issues at Harvard Law School has increased, according to Associate Law Professor Carol Steiker, a member of Celebration 40's steering committee.

"There's been a growing interest on campus as more and more women go into law," Steiker said. "Women want to hear about what their predecessors have done and what women will face in the law profession."

Ginsburg has been highly critical of the status of women at the Law School. During her confirmation hearings this summer before the U.S. Senate's judiciary committee, Ginsburg said female students when she was in school were not admitted to the library, were excluded from the Harvard Law Review banquet and were not allocated dorm space.

Ginsburg completed only two years at the LawSchool, before moving to Columbia after the birthof her first child. Harvard refused to give her adegree for the work she did between 1956 and 1958,although the Law School now awards degrees tostudents who complete their legal educationelsewhere.

Ginsburg said the discrimination she sufferedat Harvard Law School inspired her to pursue acareer fighting for the advancement of women.

Pre-registration is required for admission tothe conference, which will feature more than 50honored guests and 20 special events. Discussionand seminar topics range from "Women in theWorkplace" to "The International Status of Women."

Among those expected to attend are U.S.District Court Judge Kimba Wood of New York,Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justic RuthAbrams, and New York City Comptroller ElizabethHoltzman '62.

Justice Ginsburg Will be honored along with herdaughter, Columbia Low Professor Jane Ginsburg.The Ginsburgs are the first Mother and daughterpair to have attended Harvard Law School

Ginsburg completed only two years at the LawSchool, before moving to Columbia after the birthof her first child. Harvard refused to give her adegree for the work she did between 1956 and 1958,although the Law School now awards degrees tostudents who complete their legal educationelsewhere.

Ginsburg said the discrimination she sufferedat Harvard Law School inspired her to pursue acareer fighting for the advancement of women.

Pre-registration is required for admission tothe conference, which will feature more than 50honored guests and 20 special events. Discussionand seminar topics range from "Women in theWorkplace" to "The International Status of Women."

Among those expected to attend are U.S.District Court Judge Kimba Wood of New York,Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justic RuthAbrams, and New York City Comptroller ElizabethHoltzman '62.

Justice Ginsburg Will be honored along with herdaughter, Columbia Low Professor Jane Ginsburg.The Ginsburgs are the first Mother and daughterpair to have attended Harvard Law School