BWLC Events

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NYU Law provides reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If possible, requests for accommodations for events and services should be submitted at least five days before the date of the accommodation need. Please email womensleadership@nyu.edu for assistance.

Unless otherwise noted, all BWLC events are free and open to the public. For Zoom events, attendees will receive a confirmation email with the Zoom link and password after registering.

Upcoming

Lessons in Equality: What the New York Equal Rights Amendment Can Teach Us
Thursday, May 29, 7pm ET
Virtual
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In 2024, New York enacted its own Equal Rights Amendment – Proposition One – one of the most comprehensive and inclusive equality provisions in the nation.

Join BWLC Executive Director, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, who will be moderating this panel that will examine the legal and strategic lessons from the campaign that led to its passage. Panelists will analyze how New York can deploy this robust constitutional tool to challenge discrimination in various forms – and explore its potential for establishing more enduring protections. The discussion will also consider how New York can serve as a model for other states. 

This programming is part one of a three-part series on Democracy and Reproductive Rights and Justice sponsored by the 92NY’s Recanti-Kaplan Talks in collaboration with the BWLC.

States Rising: Building National Power
Wednesday, June 11, 7pm ET
Virtual
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State governments working collaboratively are greater than the sum of their parts — and can create a mighty bulwark in pushing back against threats to democracy.

How can governors and attorneys general across the country best meet this moment and join forces to protect and advance reproductive rights? What does current polling tell us about harnessing power through messaging? Leaders of state and national efforts will be joined by communications experts to answer these questions and more.

This programming is part two of a three-part series on Democracy and Reproductive Rights and Justice sponsored by the 92NY’s Recanti-Kaplan Talks in collaboration with the BWLC.

Fighting Back Against Harm
Wednesday, June 25, 7pm ET
Virtual
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Today’s movement for reproductive rights and justice is operating against the backdrop of rising authoritarianism and the weaponization of federal funding.

Panelists will delve deep into the real-time harms experienced by communities — and discuss how best to ensure local activists and leaders are at the fore of informing national organizing strategies.

This programming is part three of a three-part series on Democracy and Reproductive Rights and Justice sponsored by the 92NY’s Recanti-Kaplan Talks in collaboration with the BWLC.

Past

Transportation Justice: How Infrastructure Can Divide and Unite
A Discussion with Deborah Archer
Tuesday, April 15, 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET
Virtual (Via Zoom)
Watch the recording.

The U.S. economy depends on transportation infrastructure—roads, highways, airports, subways—to keep it afloat. And for many years, Americans have been frustrated by the nation’s dangerous potholes, aging bridges, and unaffordable rail projects.

As politicians turn to fixing these problems, acclaimed NYU Law legal scholar and ACLU president Deborah Archer urges us to examine the role that transportation infrastructure plays in racial segregation, isolation, and exclusion. For decades, government officials have used such infrastructure to keep Americans divided, as by building multi-lane roads with no pedestrian crossings along the border of wealthy white neighborhoods to make it hard for people from low-income communities to visit, or by refusing to extend sidewalks from Black communities into white ones.

Join Professor Archer for a discussion of her new book Dividing Lines: How Transportation Infrastructure Reinforces Racial Inequality with Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law and Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. As the nation repairs its crumbling infrastructure, Professor Archer’s call for “transportation justice” is an urgent and necessary one to heed.

Attendees of this event will automatically enter a raffle to receive a copy of Professor Archer’s book. More details to come soon.This event is part of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging speaker series and is cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center.

Panel Discussion: The Performance of "The Personal is Political"
Monday, March 31, 6:00-7:00 p.m. ET
Center for Brooklyn History

"The Personal is Political" was a common phrase among the women's liberation movement. What is more personal than art as activism? Join us for a curated panel in partnership with Roundabout Theatre Company to explore the role of art, design, fashion, and storytelling in the continued work of communities amplifying their own stories and preserving their past.

Essentially a Mother
A Discussion with Jennifer Hendricks
Thursday, March 20, 4:30-5:30 p.m. ET
In-person, NYU School of Law, 40 Washington Square South, Vanderbilt Hall, Classroom 214

BWLC Fellow-in-Residence, Professor Jenny Hendricks discusses her book Essentially a Mother, which connects the dots between the seemingly disparate laws that govern pregnancy in the context of abortion, surrogacy, parental rights, and reproductive technology.

Accelerating Gender Equality in Law and Leadership: Africa in Post-Beijing
Tuesday, March 18, 6:30 p.m. ET
In-person, NYU School of Law, Vanderbilt Hall, Smart Classroom 204

This landmark event will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action while also focusing on the progress and challenges in achieving gender equality in the legal professions in Africa, as highlighted by CEDAW General Recommendation 40. It will bring together key stakeholders to critically assess the current legal landscape, share best practices, and develop innovative strategies to accelerate gender equality in law across the African continent. Dean Troy McKenzie will give the welcome address, and the keynote speaker is Prof. Meg Satterthwaite, UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers. The moderator is Judge Lisette Shirdan-Harris, Judge / lAWL Board Member, and the three panelists are: Ms. Laura Nyirinkindi, Chair, UN Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls; Prof. J. Jarpa Dawuni, Howard University, Founder, Institute for African Women in Law; and Prof. Rose Rameau, Associate Professor, Albany Law School.

Student Organization Co-Sponsors: BLSA, Law Women, ILS, LALSA, WOCC, Law Students for Human Rights. Other Co-Sponsors: LEJI Clinic, International Senior Lawyers Project, Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice.

This event is cosponsored by the BWLC.

BWLC x Dechert Symposium: The Collateral Damage of Dobbs on Women’s Health: Beyond Abortion Care (CLE Approved)
Friday, March 14, 10:00-5:00 p.m. ET
In person, NYU School of Law, D’Agostino Hall, Lipton Hall
Watch the recordings for Panel 1, Lunch Keynote, Panel 2, and Panel 3.

When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, it upended half a century of established jurisprudence – leaving in its wake a convoluted legal landscape, and eliminating access to vital reproductive care for millions. The fallout includes a wider range of health issues affecting women undergoing cancer treatment, using assisted fertility, entering menopause, and more. Our symposium will address the new risks and challenges, and potential windows for progress.

Panelists include BWLC Fellows-in-Residence Jennifer S. Hendricks, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Juvenile and Family Law Program at Colorado Law and Dr. Sharon Malone, Chief Medical Advisor at Alloy Women’s Health; Jamie R. Abrams, Professor of Law and Director of Legal Rhetoric Program at Washington College of Law; Dr. Michele Bratcher Goodwin, Linda D. & Timothy J. O'Neill Professor of Constitutional Law and Global Health Policy and Co-Faculty Director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown Law; Nicole Huberfeld, Edward R. Utley Professor of Health Law at Boston University; Margaret E. Johnson, Professor of Law and Director of the Bronfein Family Law Clinic at University of Baltimore School of Law; Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America; Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at NYU Law; Kimberly Mutcherson, Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School and former BWLC Fellow-in-Residence; Dr. Versha Pleasant, Clinical Assistant Professor, Director, Breast Health & Cancer Genetics Clinic at University of Michigan; Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer at Slate; Karen Thompson, Legal Director at Pregnancy Justice; Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Executive Director of the BWLC; and Dr. Amanda Williams, Interim Chief Medical Officer at March of Dimes.

This symposium is generously sponsored by Dechert.

For more information on the agenda and CLE, please visit our symposium website.

Justice Abandoned
A Discussion with Rachel Barkow
Thursday, March 13, 4:30 p.m. ET
In person, NYU School of Law, D'Agostino Hall, Lipton Hall

New York University School of Law invites you to a discussion of Justice Abandoned: How the Supreme Court Ignored the Constitution and Enabled Mass Incarceration (Harvard University Press) with author Rachel Barkow, Charles Seligson Professor of Law at NYU Law, Melissa Murray, BWLC Faculty Director and Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at NYU Law, and Kate Shaw, Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania. Troy McKenzie, Dean and Cecelia Goetz Professor of Law at NYU Law, will provide welcome remarks.

This event is cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Center. Please note this event is not open to the public.

The Future of Civil Rights
A Discussion with Sherrilyn Ifill ‘87
Wednesday, February 26, 1:30-2:30 p.m. ET
Virtual (Via Zoom)

Since President Trump’s inauguration on January 20, his administration has already taken a series of actions that profoundly affect the civil rights landscape, including on immigration, LGBTQ+ rights, and diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Even well-informed citizens are struggling to keep up with the flurry of activity and what it means for the future of civil rights.

Join Sherrilyn Ifill '87, one of the nation’s foremost civil rights leaders, in conversation with Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law and Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Professor Ifill is President and Director-Counsel Emeritus of the Legal Defense Fund (LDF), Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Endowed Chair in Civil Rights at Howard University School of Law, and author of the forthcoming book Is This America?. Professors Yoshino and Ifill will have a wide-ranging conversation about the state of civil rights and democracy in the United States today, the challenges posed by the current administration, and the path forward for those who support the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

This event is part of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging speaker series and is cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center.

Women's Stories of Migrant Pride
Documentary Screening and Q&A: #Darien
Thursday, February 20, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
In person, NYU School of Law, Vanderbilt Hall, Smart Classroom 214

Countless migrants make the treacherous journey from South and Central America to reach the U.S. – and many document it on social media. While Venezuelan filmmaker Tatiana Rojas Ponce struggles to find meaningful ways to help those arriving in New York from her home country, she meets Paola and Emily, who share stories, videos, and reflections about their harrowing passage through the Darien jungle en route to the United States.

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center for a free screening of the documentary film, #Darien. Following the 36-minute screening, there will be a Q&A with Tatiana Rojas Ponce, the filmmaker and PhD candidate at NYU. Erick Moreno Superlano from the Centre on Migration, Politics and Society (COMPAS) at the University of Oxford will moderate.

Hope in an Age of Cynicism
A Discussion with Jamil Zaki
Friday, February 14, 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET
Virtual (Via Zoom)
Watch the recording.

To achieve an inclusive society, we need to build bonds of trust across our differences. Yet our society today is awash with cynicism and distrust, and the problem seems to be getting worse over time. As Stanford Professor Jamil Zaki puts it, “humanity has lost faith in humanity.”

In his new book Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness, Professor Zaki argues that despite its veneer of moral and intellectual superiority, cynicism is “a tool of the status quo” and a significant barrier to social progress. Join Professor Zaki in conversation with David Glasgow, Executive Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, to explore the science of cynicism and ways to cultivate hope even in challenging times. Attendees of this event will automatically enter a raffle to receive a copy of Professor Zaki’s book.

This event is part of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging speaker series and is cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center.

Annual Fred T. Korematsu Lecture with Vanita Gupta ’01 and Jenny Yang ’96
Wednesday, January 29, 6:00 p.m.
In-person, NYU School of Law, Greenberg Lounge

The annual Fred T. Korematsu Lecture, organized by the NYU Asian-Pacific American Law Students Association will be given by former Associate Attorney General and Distinguished Scholar in Residence Vanita Gupta ’01 and Adjunct Professor of Law Jenny Yang ’96, who has served as Deputy Assistant to President Biden for Racial Justice and Equity, as director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, and chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The lecture will be moderated by Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law at NYU and the director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. A reception will follow.

The Korematsu lecture series was founded in 2000 as a forum for Asian American perspectives on the law, and to honor Asian Americans who have substantially contributed to the development of the law while challenging the status quo. BWLC Fellows Harika Kollipara ’25 and Amrutha Sreedharane ’25 are co-organizers of this lecture.

2024 Events

How to Build a Diverse Democracy
Tuesday, November 12, 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET
Virtual (Via Zoom)
Watch the recording.

Regardless of the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, American institutions—including legislative bodies, workplaces, and campuses—will remain mired in conflict over issues of justice and inclusion. If anything, such conflicts seem to be getting hotter and hotter each year.

Eboo Patel is the founder and president of Interfaith America, the nation’s premier interfaith organization. In his book We Need to Build: Field Notes for Diverse Democracy, Patel offers a roadmap for building just and inclusive institutions amid civic turmoil. Join Patel in conversation with David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, to explore one of the deepest questions that institutions face in the years ahead: How can we study, work, and live together in a pluralistic society when our deepest values frequently clash?

This event is part of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging speaker series and is cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center.

RED, WHITE AND BLUE Film Screening and Discussion
Wednesday, October 30, 7:30-9:00 p.m. ET
In-person, Vanderbilt Hall, Smart Classroom 214

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center for a screening of the Academy Award-Nominated short film, RED, WHITE AND BLUE (23 mins), followed by a nationwide student live-streamed discussion on reproductive and economic justice from UPenn Carey Law School. BWLC Faculty Director Melissa Murray will participate in the discussion – live from the NYU Law screening – which will also feature filmmaker Nazrin Choudhury, LaTosha Brown of Black Voters Matter, UPenn Carey Law’s Kate Shaw, and members of NYU Law If/When/How chapter.

A Conversation with Shalanda Young, Director of the United States Office of Management and Budget
Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 3:00 p.m. ET
In-person, Vanderbilt Hall, Greenberg Lounge

The Dean’s Office and Tax Law Center at NYU School of Law invite you to a conversation with Shalanda Young, director of the United States Office of Management and Budget.

Shalanda Young, a member of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet, is the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. She made history when she was confirmed with a bipartisan vote in the United States Senate, becoming the first Black woman to lead the agency. Director Shalanda Young moved to D.C. nearly two decades ago to serve as a Presidential Management Fellow at the National Institute of Health. She then spent 14 years on Capitol Hill, where she ultimately served as Staff Director for the House Appropriations Committee. As Director, she has secured historic levels of funding for key national priorities—from vital assistance to Ukraine, to disaster relief for communities impacted by natural disasters, to critical investments in child care, education, public health, and climate. She was a top negotiator of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 that averted a catastrophic debt default and lifted the debt ceiling. Director Young will speak about budget negotiations, advancing the administration’s agenda, and her path to the White House.

Lily Batchelder, Robert C. Kopple Family Professor of Law, and David Kamin, Charles L. Denison Professor of Law, will moderate the discussion, and Dean Troy McKenzie will give welcome remarks.

How to Heal a Divided Nation
Tuesday, October 22, 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET
Virtual (Via Zoom)
Watch the recording.

As we enter another heated election season, Americans are once again divided along lines of identity, including gender, race, and national origin. Some argue that the solution to our national division is to set aside “identity politics” and focus on the more important work of addressing material issues, such as economic inequality and poverty. Harvard sociologist Michèle Lamont disagrees. In her book Seeing Others: How Recognition Works and How It Can Heal a Divided World, Professor Lamont claims that feeling “welcomed, valued, and listened to” matters just as much as a group’s access to material resources.

Join Professor Lamont in conversation with Professor Kenji Yoshino, faculty director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, for a timely conversation about the power of “recognition” and what all of us can do to bridge our deepest divides. Attendees of this event will automatically enter a raffle to receive a copy of Professor Lamont’s book.

This event is part of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging speaker series and is cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center.

It’s a Man’s World: Revealing and Addressing Hidden Gender Bias in Tax Law and Policy
American Tax Policy Institute: Gender and Tax Symposium
Thursday, October 17 and Friday, October 18, 2024
In-person, Washington, D.C.

Join this two-day symposium cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center for an academic roundtable and presentations such as “Marriage, Inequality, and the Tax Code,” “Our Bodies, Our Voices, Our (Tax) Selves,” and more.

Suddenly Silent: Strategies to Speak Up and Stand Out
Monday, October 21, 2024, 5:00-6:00 p.m. ET
In-person, Vanderbilt Hall, Classroom 214

Do you find yourself slinking in your seat in class — looking for excuses not to talk or engage? You’re not alone! Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center for an interactive, improv-based workshop custom-designed for NYU Law students — and provides essential skills and tips to get you thinking on your feet, actively listening, and contributing to classroom discussion. This event is for current NYU Law students and is not open to the public (nor is it recorded).

• Brittany Farr, Assistant Professor of Law
• Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law; Faculty Director, Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center
• K.M. Zouhary, Principal, KMZ Advisors

Filipina Suffragists of the 20th Century: Confronting Race, Gender, and Empire in the Fight for Voting Rights
Tuesday, October 8, 2024, 6:00 p.m. ET
In-person, NYU Espacio de Culturas, 53 Washington Square S, New York, NY 10012

This lecture presented by Rose Cuison-Villazor, NYU A/P/A Institute Visiting Scholar, Professor of Law and Chancellor's Social Justice Scholar at Rutgers Law School, and former BWLC Visiting Fellow-in-Residence, explores the significant yet overlooked contributions of Filipina Americans to the suffrage movements in both the United States and the Philippines during the early 20th century. Despite the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s ratification in 1920, the role of Filipina American suffragettes remains underexplored. By uncovering their stories, this lecture will explore how their advocacy intersected with broader national and global efforts to dismantle the racial, gendered, and imperial barriers to women’s voting rights. 

This event is organized by Sulo: The Philippine Studies Initiative at NYU and is co-sponsored by Espacio de Culturas at NYU, New York Southeast Asia Network (NYSEAN), Asian/Pacific/American Institute at NYU, Rutgers Center for Immigrant Justice, NYU School of Law Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center, and FANHS Metro New York.

Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win
Monday, October 7, 2024, 4:00 p.m. ET
In-person, Vanderbilt Hall, Greenberg Lounge

The Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center is pleased to host New York Times best-selling author Jessica Valenti to launch her new book, Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win, which shines a light on the latest assaults on reproductive freedom. From the attacks Americans know about, to the ones anti-abortion lawmakers and groups are trying to hide, Valenti details the tactics and horrors that she’s been painstakingly tracking in her acclaimed newsletter, Abortion, Every Day. She will be joined in conversation by former White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, New York Times best-selling author, and host of Crooked Media's Hysteria podcast, Alyssa Mastromonaco. NYU Law’s Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and BWLC Faculty Director Melissa Murray and Pregnancy Justice's Legal Director, Karen Thompson will give remarks. We will be also be joined by New Yorkers For Equal Rights for a brief discussion on Proposal 1 on the 2024 ballot.

Books will be available for purchase and a post-discussion signing.

This event is cosponsored by Pregnancy Justice and the NYU Law Chapter of If/When/How Lawyering for Reproductive Justice.

Personhood and Pregnancy
Friday, September 27, 2024, 12:00-2:00 p.m. ET
In-person, NYU School of Law

As “fetal personhood” emerges as the central ideology underpinning the anti-abortion movement’s strategy, threatening everything from IVF to abortion to the policing of all pregnancy outcomes, this panel discussion will explore law, policy, activism, and narrative responses – and begin to chart a new path forward.

• Irin Carmon, Author and Senior Correspondent, New York Magazine
• Jenice Fountain, Executive Director, Yellowhammer Fund
• Kimberly Mutcherson, Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
• Karen Thompson, Legal Director, Pregnancy Justice
• Mary Ziegler, Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law

Funtime Book Party: Feminist Cyberlaw
Monday, September 23, 2024, 5:00-7:00 p.m. ET
In-person, D’Agostino Hall, Faculty Club

Join a discussion about the new book Feminist Cyberlaw co-edited by NYU Law’ alumnae and former Fellow of the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy Amanda Levendowski ‘14. Levendowski will be joined by contributors Esha Bhandari, Cynthia H. Conti-Cook, Gabrielle Rejouis, and Anjali Vats in a discussion moderated by Engelberg Center Faculty Co-Director Jeanne Fromer.

Feminist Cyberlaw reimagines the field of cyberlaw through a feminist lens, bringing together emerging and established scholars and practitioners to explore how gender, race, sexuality, disability, class, and the intersections of these identities affect cyberspace and the laws that govern it. It is available as a free, open-access volume.

A reception will follow the discussion. This event is co-sponsored by NYU Law's Engelberg Center on Innovation Law & Policy, Birnbaum Women's Leadership Center, and Meltzer Center on Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

This event is co-hosted NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center and Reproductive Justice Clinic together with Pregnancy Justice.

A Conversation with The Honorable Elena Kagan, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Monday, September 9, 2024, 12:00 p.m. ET
In-person, NYU School of Law
Watch the recording.
Read about the event.

The Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center is pleased to present the inaugural Sidney Shainwald Public Interest Lecture: A Conversation with The Honorable Elena Kagan, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States and NYU Law’s Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law Melissa Murray.

The Originalism Trap: Extremism and the Constitution
Thursday, June 27, 2024, 7:00 p.m. ET
Virtual (via Zoom)
Watch the recording.

NYU Law’s Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and BWLC Faculty Director Melissa Murray and BWLC Executive Director Jennifer Weiss-Wolf had a discussion with The Nation’s Elie Mystal and Madiba K. Dennie, author of the new book, The Originalism Trap: How Extremists Stole the Constitution and How We the People Can Take It Back. This event will explore originalism’s controversial hold on constitutional interpretation, revealing its flaws and advocating for an inclusive constitutionalism that upholds equal rights for all. This programming is sponsored by the 92NY’s Recanti-Kaplan Talks.

What Originalism Means for Women
Wednesday, June 12, 2024, 3:00 p.m. ET
Virtual (via Zoom)
Watch the recording.

In a few short years, the Supreme Court has upended American law, pursuing a regressive agenda cloaked as a return to the Constitution’s supposed “original meaning.”

The Court’s embrace of originalism poses special risks to women. The 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade, exemplifies this threat — the majority failed to fully grapple with how legal and cultural gender norms have shifted since the founding era. The current term’s United States v. Rahimi, which is built entirely around the fact that domestic violence was not a crime in the 18th century, has taken originalism to its logical but absurd end at the expense of American women.  

This program featured a panel discussion with Madiba K. Dennie, author of the new book The Originalism Trap; Khiara M. Bridges of UC Berkeley School of Law; Emily Martin of the National Women’s Law Center; and Alicia Bannon of the Brennan Center and State Court Report. Together, these speakers will explore what the 2023–24 Supreme Court term has meant and could mean for all Americans, through the lens of what it means for half the population.

This event is produced in partnership with the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center.

SUFFS x NYU Law: A Celebration of Women’s Leadership
Thursday, May 09, 2024, 7:00 p.m. ET
Music Box Theatre, 239 W 45th St, New York, NY 10036

The BWLC invites you to join us for an unforgettable evening as SUFFS arrives on Broadway following its sold-out, extended run at The Public Theater. This “remarkable, epic new musical” (Variety), boldly explores the victories and failures of a struggle for equality that’s far from over.

It’s 1913 and the women’s movement is heating up in America, anchored by the suffragists — “Suffs,” as they call themselves — and their relentless pursuit of the right to vote. Reaching across and against generational, racial, and class divides, these brilliant, flawed women entertain and inspire us with the story of their hard-won victory in an ongoing fight.

Among them, of course, is the bold Inez Milholland, NYU Law Class of 1912. Today, the BWLC proudly carries on her legacy in its work to advance women-focused leadership, ensure the success of women in public and professional life, and address core issues of gender equity, justice, and democracy.

Following the performance, NYU Law Dean and Cecelia Goetz Professor of Law Troy McKenzie and BWLC Executive Director Jennifer Weiss-Wolf hosted  a brief talkback on stage about NYU Law’s commitment to women and the law today.

The BWLC gratefully acknowledges Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison for its generous sponsorship for the evening.

NYU Law Reunion Event: The Trump Indictments Book Talk with coauthors Melissa Murray and Andrew Weissmann
Saturday, April 20, 2024, 10:45 - 11:45 a.m. ET
In-person, Vanderbilt Hall, Room 204

Join us for a NYU Law reunion event to hear the book’s coauthors, Melissa Murray and Andrew Weissmann, discuss the historic indictments of the former president.

Former President Donald Trump is facing four explosive criminal prosecutions: the January 6 and classified documents cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith in federal court, the election interference case in Georgia, and the “hush money” case in New York. The outcomes could alter American democracy for generations. A new book, The Trump Indictments, takes readers through the cases, offers key context on the charges, and analyzes the charging documents.

Murray is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and faculty director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at NYU Law. Weissmann, a professor of practice at NYU Law and a legal analyst for MSNBC, previously served as general counsel to the FBI and one of the senior prosecutors on director Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia investigation. Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Executive Director, Birnbaum Women's Leadership Center will moderate the discussion. Reunion Weekend 2024 free academic sessions are open to all of the NYU Law community.

BWLC and Reproductive Justice Clinic at NYU Law Celebratory Reception
Thursday, April 18, 2024, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. ET
In-person, D'Agostino Hall, Lipton Hall

Join us for a reception to celebrate the milestone anniversaries of NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center (5 years) and Reproductive Justice Clinic (10 years) and recognize the Law School’s unwavering commitment to gender equity and reproductive justice. We will be joined by and hear from Dean Troy McKenzie ’00, Center and Clinic leadership, current students, alumni/ae, partners, and supporters. Drinks and light bites will be provided. This event is co-sponsored by the Law Alumni Association.

Parenthood & the Job Search Panel
Friday, April 5, 2024, 12:00 p.m. ET
In-person, Vanderbilt Hall, Room 216

Join OCS and Law Women for a panel discussion that will delve into the intersection of parenthood and job searching with associates from Weil, Gotshal & Manges, Kirkland & Ellis, and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, LLP sharing their experiences and insights. Moderated by BWLC Student Fellow Ana Molina (JD '24), this panel promises a dynamic exchange of perspectives and practical advice.

From navigating interviews to navigating tricky questions about family while balancing professional standards, our panelists will tackle it all. Gain invaluable tips, hear personal anecdotes, and discover strategies for success in both job searching and parenthood. This panel is meant to be for everyone, regardless of gender or current parenting status, as it offers invaluable insights into navigating the complexities of career advancement and parenthood in today's professional landscape.

The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents
Monday, April 1, 2024, 6:30 p.m. ET
Hybrid (In-person: New York Historical Society)

The office of the American presidency invites intense legal scrutiny both within and outside of government. However, over the course of American history, Donald Trump is the first former president to face criminal indictment. As the subject of charges across four cases ranging from election interference to “hush money” payments, these indictments represent an unprecedented moment in US politics. Legal experts Melissa Murray and Andrew Weissmann join former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch to delve into the historical background of our current moment and provide a thorough account of this history in the making.

Melissa Murray is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law Faculty and the director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at New York University School of Law. Andrew Weissmann is professor of practice at the Center on the Administration of Criminal Law at NYU School of Law and the co-host of the MSNBC podcast Prosecuting Donald Trump with Mary McCord. They are the co-authors of The Trump Indictments: The Historic Charging Documents with Commentary. Loretta Lynch (moderator) previously served as the 83rd United States Attorney General (2015-2017) and is now a partner at the Paul, Weiss law firm.

Decoding the Trump Indictments
Thursday, March 28, 2024, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET
In-person, Vanderbilt Hall, Tishman Auditorium
Watch the recording.

Former President Donald Trump is facing four explosive criminal prosecutions: the January 6 and classified documents cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith in federal court, the election interference case in Georgia, and the “hush money” case in New York.

The outcomes could alter American democracy for generations. A new book, The Trump Indictments, takes readers through the cases, offers key context on the charges, and analyzes the charging documents.

Join us to hear the book’s coauthors, Melissa Murray and Andrew Weissman, discuss the historic indictments of the former president. Murray is the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at NYU Law. Weissman, a professor of practice at NYU Law and a legal analyst for MSNBC, previously served as general counsel to the FBI and one of the senior prosecutors on director Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia investigation. Michael Waldman, President of the Brennan Center will moderate. This event is produced in partnership with the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Center and the Reiss Center on Law and Security.

 Disability Pride: From Accommodation to Empowerment
Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Speaker Series
Tuesday, March 26, 2024 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET
Virtual (Via Zoom)
Watch the recording.

61 million adults in the United States have a disability—more than a quarter of the population. Yet disability is often an afterthought in conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Ben Mattlin, journalist and author of Disability Pride: Dispatches from a Post-ADA World, offers a much-needed primer on critical topics like the internal diversity of the disability community, its representation and misrepresentation in the media, and its history fighting for legal and social justice.

Join Ben in conversation with Professor Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law and Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, to discuss how individuals, organizations, and governments can get beyond the minimum standards in the Americans with Disabilities Act to achieve true acceptance and justice for the disability community.

Backsliding Democracies and Women’s Rights Around the World
Wednesday, February 28, 2024, 7:00 p.m. ET
Virtual (Via Zoom)
Watch the recording.

Can a democracy where women have never been equal ever really thrive? How are attacks on democracy tied to gender equity? What can we learn from past fights to protect and expand women’s rights in order to chart a path forward? Join us for a two-part virtual series to explore how women’s rights are inextricably tied to the integrity and durability of democratic institutions. This session will focus on the global stage with experts weighing in from movements in Latin America, Ireland, and Central Europe.

Panelists include: Suyen Barahona, Director, Women’s Political Leadership Fund; Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Professor of History and Italian Studies at NYU; Laleh Ispahani, Executive Director of Open Society-U.S.; Christine Ryan, Director of the Religious Liberty and Reproductive Rights Project at Columbia Law School’s Center for Gender & Sexuality Law; and Regina Tamés, Deputy Director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, Mexico City.

This programming is sponsored by the 92Y’s Recanti-Kaplan Talks and is a continuation of a collaboration between the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center and Ms. Magazine, which can be viewed online.

Trans Inclusion at a Time of Backlash
Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Speaker Series
Wednesday, February 28, 2024, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET
Virtual (Via Zoom)
Watch the recording.

Attacks on the transgender community have increased dramatically in recent years, including legal restrictions on bathroom access and medical care, book bans, and what the Human Rights Campaign has called an “epidemic of violence.”

Join Andy Marra, Executive Director of the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund, for a conversation with Professor Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law and Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, about the state of trans rights in 2024. What has prompted the anti-trans backlash? What challenges lie ahead? And what can supporters of trans inclusion do to advance their values in the current political climate?

This event is part of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging speaker series and is cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center and OUTLaw.

Panel on Careers in Reproductive Rights
Monday, February 26, 2024, 6:15 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. ET
In-person, Furman Hall, Classroom 214

Join the BWLC and NYU Law's If/When/How to learn about careers in the field of reproductive justice.

BWLC Symposium: Reconstructing the Reconstruction Amendments
Friday, February 2, 2024, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
In-person, Vanderbilt Hall, Greenberg Lounge
Watch the recordings for Panel 1, Lunch Fireside Chat, and Panel 2.

This year, the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center’s annual symposium is a celebration of the scholarship of Peggy Cooper Davis, NYU Law’s John S. R. Shad Professor of Lawyering and Ethics, and her path breaking work on Neglected Stories: The Constitution and Family Values. Leading scholars and advocates will discuss the myriad ways the Roberts Court is undermining the Reconstruction Amendments, in large part by ignoring the history that led to their formation – and, importantly, explore what work is needed to counter the Court’s dangerous decisions.

The BWLC gratefully acknowledges Dechert LLP for its generous sponsorship of our annual symposium. This event is co-hosted by NYU Law’s Center on Race, Inequality and the Law, and the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

Backsliding Democracies and Women’s Rights in the U.S.
Tuesday, January 30, 2024, 7:00 p.m. ET
Virtual (Via Zoom)
Watch the recording.

Can a democracy where women have never been equal ever really thrive? How are attacks on democracy tied to gender equity? What can we learn from past fights to protect and expand women’s rights in order to chart a path forward? Join us for a two-part virtual series to explore how women’s rights are inextricably tied to the integrity and durability of democratic institutions. This session will address the domestic landscape and the state of equality and reproductive and gender justice in the U.S.

Panelists include: Alexis McGill Johnson, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund; Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at NYU Law; Pamela Shifman, President of the Democracy Alliance; and Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Executive Director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at NYU Law and Executive Director of Partnerships and Strategy at Ms. Magazine.

This programming is sponsored by the 92Y’s Recanti-Kaplan Talks and is a continuation of a collaboration between the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center and Ms. Magazine, which can be viewed online.

2023 Events

Reclaiming Our Reproductive Rights with Melissa Murray
Tuesday, December 5, 2023, 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET
Hybrid event, Hemmerdinger Hall, Silver Center 100 Washington Square East
Watch the recording.

Join NYU Law Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and BWLC Faculty Director, Melissa Murray, in conversation with reporter and Global Liberal Studies alum Julianne McShane (GLS ’17), who will discuss reproductive rights with a global focus. Drawing on their combined expertise on the intersections of gender, inequality, and reproductive health, the discussion will feature the potential of student and activist action. This is an NYU Women Lead and Liberal Studies Global Lecture Series event co-sponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center.

Book Talk: J.C. Hallman, author of Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon, and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women’s Health
Tuesday, November 2, 2023, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ET
Virtual (Via Zoom)

Little is known about the young enslaved women who Dr. J. Marion Sims, a surgeon long hailed as “the father of modern gynecology,” conducted surgical experiments on without anesthesia. J. C. Hallman, author of Say Anarcha, excavates history, deconstructs the biographical smoke screen of a surgeon falsely enshrined as a medical pioneer, and centers a heroic Black woman and the evolution of modern women’s health care. Kim Mutcherson, Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School and Fellow-in-Residence at the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center, joins J.C. Hallman in discussion of his book and how it can help inform the future of reproductive justice.

This event is cosponsored by the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law, the Reproductive Justice Clinic, Law Women and If/When/How.

Book Talk: Steve Vladeck, author of The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic
Monday, October 23, 2023, 4:30 - 5:30 p.m. ET
In-Person, Faculty Club

In The Shadow Docket, an instant New York Times bestseller, Steve Vladeck notes how the Court has dramatically expanded its use of the behind-the-scenes “shadow docket,” regularly making decisions that affect millions of Americans without public hearings and without explanation. Join Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor Melissa Murray, faculty director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center, Hon. Beverly B. Martin, executive director of NYU Law’s Center on Civil Justice, and author Steve Vladeck to discuss what it will take to bring the Court back into the light.

Books will be available for purchase and the talk will be followed by a book signing.

This event is cosponsored by NYU Law’s Center on Civil Justice.

Suddenly Silent: Strategies to Speak Up & Stand Out
Wednesday, October 18, 2023, 4:45 p.m - 6:15 p.m. ET
In-Person, Vanderbilt Hall, Smart Classroom 218

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center for an interactive, improv-based workshop we’ve custom-designed for NYU Law students – that provides essential skills and tips to get you thinking on your feet, actively listening, and contributing to classroom discussion. We are pleased to present this program together with the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging and the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law. This event is intended for current NYU Law students and is not open to the public.

Suddenly Silent will be led by:

• Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law; Faculty Director, Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center
• Erin Murphy, Norman Dorsen Professor of Civil Liberties
• Kimberly Mutcherson, Fellow-in-Residence, Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center; Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
• Rose Cuison-Villazor, Fellow-in-Residence, Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center; Professor of Law and Chancellor’s Social Justice Scholar, Rutgers Law School
• K.M. Zouhary, Vice President, Leadership Initiatives, The Estée Lauder Companies

Will the A.I. Future be Inclusive?
Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Speaker Series
Tuesday, October 17, 2023, 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. ET
Virtual (Via Zoom)
Watch the recording.

Join Professor Orly Lobel, author of The Equality Machine in conversation with Professor Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law and Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, to discuss the risks and opportunities of our digital future. What are the dangers of automation? How will rapid advancements in artificial intelligence affect our workplaces and other major institutions? And most importantly, how can we harness digital technology so that it’s a driver of equality and inclusion rather than discrimination and exclusion?

This event is part of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging speaker series and is cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center.

Life of the Law Conversation
Wednesday, September 27, 2023, 6:00 p.m. ET
In-Person (NYU School of Law)

Exactly 50 years ago, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Frontiero v. Richardson, a landmark ruling that strengthened the cause of gender equality within the United States. The case — the first Justice Ginsburg argued before the Court — has much to say today now that the legal meaning of equality is again up for debate. Come hear Sharron Cohen, the plaintiff in Frontiero, share her story with author Joshua Prager, whose book The Family Roe was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.  

Lost amidst the headlines of Supreme Court decisions are the people at the heart of these cases. The Life of the Law Series tells their stories. A reception will immediately follow the program. This event is presented in partnership with the Supreme Court Forum, NYU Law’s Law Alumni Association, and the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center.

NYU Law Supreme Court (P)review
Wednesday, September 27, 2023, 1:10 - 2:25 p.m. ET
In-Person (NYU School of Law)

The US Supreme Court issued rulings in several high-profile cases at the end of its last term in June. Far from settling fraught issues, many of these decisions raise new questions that may themselves end up before the Court. For example, will the prohibition on race-based affirmative action in college admissions be extended to workplace diversity programs? Meanwhile, new cases are landing on the Court’s merits docket for the upcoming term, including a major gun rights case and another that considers whether government officials can block followers on personal social media accounts they use to communicate with the public. While the Court’s substantive work typically draws attention, this year individual justices have also garnered an unprecedented level of scrutiny in connection with luxury travel and book sales. All of these matters will be on the table for discussion at this Forum, featuring experts with a range of vantage points on the Court.

Panelists include Melissa Arbus Sherry, Partner and member of the Supreme Court and Appellate Practice, Latham & Watkins, Ilya Somin, Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University, and Abbie VanSickle, Supreme Court Correspondent, New York Times. The moderator is Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law, NYU School of Law; Co-host, Strict Scrutiny podcast; and Faculty Director, Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center.

CBH Talk | Ms. Speaks Out: The Future of Feminism
Wednesday, September 20, 2023, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. ET
In-Person (Center for Brooklyn History)

2023 marks a multitude of milestones – among them, 50 years since the founding by Gloria Steinem and other feminists of two iconic organizations, the Ms. Foundation for Women and Ms. Magazine. Join us to hear from feminist leaders, activists, and stakeholders from both Ms. entities, including Irin Carmon, Ruth McFarlane, and Joanne Smith, as they engage in a critical conversation about the future of feminism – from storytelling to activism, and journalism to philanthropy – and all it demands: vision that is bold, imaginative, and collaborative. Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, executive director of NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center, will moderate.

We will also celebrate the release of the new anthology 50 Years of Ms.: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine that Ignited a Revolution (Knopf, Sept. 2023) — five decades of the magazine’s most startling, audacious, and norm-breaking pieces. Books will be available for purchase and the talk will be followed by a book signing. Weiss-Wolf is a contributor to and editor on the book and also directs strategy and partnerships at Ms. Magazine.

This event is proudly cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center.

New Frontiers in Federalism - Session 4:  Reconfiguring Governance: Navigating the Red-Blue Divide in America
Tuesday, September 19, 2023, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. ET
Virtual (Via Zoom)

“New Frontiers of Federalism” is a New York City Bar Association series cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center. This session will take a deep dive into clashes among governments at all levels and the increasing stress on our federal system as the need increases for nationwide solutions to problems affecting all Americans, from climate change to voting rights.

Abortion Rights and the Future of State Constitutions
Tuesday, September 19, 2023, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. ET
VIRTUAL (Via Zoom)

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center and the Brennan Center for Justice for Abortion Rights and the Future of State Constitutions – a live virtual panel exploring the aftermath of Dobbs and its implications for state courts and constitutions. Panelists include the Hon. Cheri Beasley, former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court; David Cohen, a reproductive rights scholar at Drexel University; Alicia Bannon, director of the Brennan Center Judiciary Program and editor in chief of State Court Report; and Emily Bazelon of the New York Times Magazine and Yale Law School. This event marks the launch of the Brennan Center’s State Court Report, a new initiative offering context and commentary about notable state cases, legal trends, and cutting-edge scholarship.

Book Talk: Mattie Kahn, author of Young and Restless: The Girls Who Sparked America's Revolutions
Thursday, September 14, 2023, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. ET
In-Person (NYU School of Law)

Young women have been disenfranchised and discounted, but the true retelling of major social movements in America reveals their might: they have ignited almost every single one. Mattie Kahn, author of Young and Restless, illuminates how much we owe to girls throughout the generations, what skills young women use to mobilize and find their voices, and, crucially, what we can all stand to learn from their stories.

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center in conversation with Mattie Kahn, featuring the Center’s executive director, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, and the Center’s interns and fellows for a cross-generational conversation. Books will be available for purchase and the talk will be followed by a book signing.

Equal Justice Under the Law? The Supreme Court and the Fight for Civil Rights
Tuesday, September 12, 2023, 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET
Virtual Event
Watch the recording.

In recent years, the conservative supermajority on the U.S. Supreme Court has profoundly altered the civil rights landscape. The Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, ended affirmative action in higher education, and found that “expressive” businesses have a free speech right to refuse service to same-sex couples and other members of protected classes.

Join Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the Legal Defense Fund (LDF,) for a timely conversation with Professor Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law and Director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

This event is part of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging speaker series and is cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center and the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law.

Menstrual Equity: Period Policy and Culture
Wednesday, July 26, 2023, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET

Please join us for Menstrual Equity: Period Policy and Culture, a panel discussion moderated by Alisha Haridasani Gupta of the New York Times, that will explore pending and potential legislation concerning periods, the stigmas and societal discomfort around discussing menstruation, and the importance of recognizing menstrual equity as an essential component of the fight for reproductive justice. Our panelists – Megha Desai, president of the Desai Foundation, Akila Radhakrishnan, president of the Global Justice Center, and Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, executive director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center at NYU Law – are at the forefront of the fight for menstrual equity and reproductive justice and will explain ways to leverage your skills, networks and resources to contribute to this movement. We invite you to join us for what promises to be an informative and invigorating discussion. This event is cohosted by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center, Desai Foundation, Global Justice Center, and Ms. Magazine.

One Year Post-Roe: Reflections on US and Global Abortion Rights
Thursday, June 29, 2023, 7:00 p.m. ET

At the one-year mark since the fall of Roe, abortion bans and restrictions now deny millions of people the essential care they need to control their own reproductive futures – with further threats brewing in the federal courts over medication abortion. Globally, allies watch with concern to prepare for the potential implications around the world. In the face of these challenges, please join this timely event on the consequences and implications for action hosted by the Guttmacher Institute. BWLC Faculty Director Melissa Murray, who serves on the Board of Guttmacher, will be in conversation with national and global leaders. 

New Frontiers in Federalism: Abortion and the Chaos of Conflicting Mandates
Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Watch the event recording.

A maze of conflicts among the states emerged in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision — which unleashed a torrent of statutes, regulations, civil lawsuits and criminal prosecutions about all aspects of abortion. This session examines the constitutional right to travel between states; the rights and obligations of states to extradite; and issues relating to the primacy of federal law regarding “medication abortion,” as well as conflicting federal judicial decisions. The implications of conflicting mandates for the private sector are also discussed. The BWLN’s Jennifer Weiss-Wolf moderates this discussion with Professor Mary Ziegler, UC-Davis Law School; Dean Rachel Rebouche, Temple University Beasley School of Law; Professor Carolyn Shapiro, IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law.

This event is part of the New York City Bar Association’s four-part “Emerging Federalism” series and is cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and the Brennan Center for Justice.

The End of Zero-Sum Politics
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
Watch the event recording.

Heather McGhee, policy expert and author of the New York Times bestselling book The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, shows how that zero-sum mentality has thwarted progress in a range of policy areas from housing to healthcare to education. Join McGhee for a  timely conversation on these topics with Professor Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law and director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

This event is part of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging speaker series and is cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Network and the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law.

BWLN Symposium: Women’s Rights and Backsliding Democracies
Friday, April 14, 2023
Watch the recordings.

The United States was designated a backsliding democracy in late 2021, when it appeared on a prominent European think tank’s annual global ranking. Today, half of the world’s democratic governments are on the decline according to a 2022 report, The Global State of Democracy. A New York Times article asserted that such a descent is precisely when “curbs on women’s rights tend to accelerate.”
 

We think that’s a proposition worth flipping on its head. Are democracies that have abysmal records on gender equity destined to falter? According to the United Nations, the trajectory of “de-democratization” is rarely analyzed initially through the distinct lens of gender equity and there are insufficient efforts to systematically examine the current implications. Our symposium will engage this critical conversation.

Book Talk: Meredith Broussard, author of More Than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender, and Ability Bias in Tech
Thursday, March 30, 2023
Virtual Event

Join the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Network and the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy at NYU School of Law for a book talk with Meredith Broussard, associate professor at the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at NYU and author of More Than a Glitch: Confronting Race, Gender, and Ability Bias in Tech.

Panel Discussion: Mothers in Law
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Watch the event recording.

A discussion of practical and systemic reforms needed to ensure that mothers can thrive in the legal profession. Featuring leaders from multiple disciplines — including Andrea Merediz Basham '02, Freshfields; Cassandra Deskus '18, Patterson Belknap; Sandra Ung, Member, New York City Council and Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Birnbaum Women's Leadership Network, NYU Law. Alexis Julien and Ana Molina from NYU Law Women will be co-moderators. A networking reception will follow.

This event is co-presented by the BWLN and NYU Law Women.

Book Talk: Ruth Rubio Marin, author of Global Gender Constitutionalism and Women's Citizenship: A Struggle for Transformative Inclusion
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
Watch the event recording.

Constitutions around the world are overwhelmingly the creation of men. How well are they doing at acknowledging equality – and advancing the rights of women? Ruth Rubio-Marin, professor of constitutional law at the University of Sevilla, offers a sweeping examination of this subject in her book Global Gender Constitutionalism and Women’s Citizenship, which covers a variety of topics including abortion and reproductive care, gender-based violence, political quotas, employment discrimination, and LGBTQ+ rights. Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging for a conversation with Professor Rubio-Marin about the role of constitutional law in achieving gender justice, both in the United States and across the globe, moderated by Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law and director of the Meltzer Center.

Panel Discussion: Majority Rules
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Virtual Event

We are proud to celebrate Women’s History Month with Supermajority Ed. Fund and Ms. magazine. Please join us for a discussion about a new video and narrative series animating The Majority Rules – five fundamental values critical to achieving women's equality – presented by Reshma Saujani, Alicia Garza, Mariska Hargitay, Ai-Jen Poo, Cecile Richards, and others. The BWLN will co-host a Zoom discussion with the project’s creators on March 8, International Women’s Day.

Panel Discussion: Majority Rules
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Virtual Event

We are proud to celebrate Women’s History Month with Supermajority Ed. Fund and Ms. magazine. Please join us for a discussion about a new video and narrative series animating The Majority Rules – five fundamental values critical to achieving women's equality – presented by Reshma Saujani, Alicia Garza, Mariska Hargitay, Ai-Jen Poo, Cecile Richards, and others. The BWLN will co-host a Zoom discussion with the project’s creators on March 8, International Women’s Day.

Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Speaker Series: Suzanne Nossel, author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All
Tuesday, March 7, 2023
Watch the event recording.

Freedom of expression is a core value of the United States and other democratic countries. Yet in recent years, free speech has become a site of intense conflict when it intersects with issues of diversity and inclusion. Such clashes can be seen in discussions about safe spaces on university campuses, race and LGBTQ+ education in K-12 schools, and hate speech regulation on social media.

Join Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America and author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All for a wide-ranging conversation on these topics with Professor Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law and director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

Book Talk: Advice to Thrive By: How to Use Your Résumé and Cover Letter to Build Your Brand and Launch a Dynamic Public Interest Career
Thursday, February 16, 2023
Virtual Event

Portia Allen-Kyle, a civil rights attorney and public policy expert, wants to help law students and new attorneys interested in public interest lawyering with their professional development strategy. The State Energy & Environmental Impact Center will host Ms. Allen-Kyle in a discussion of her book, Advice to Thrive By: How to Use Your Résumé and Cover Letter to Build Your Brand and Launch a Dynamic Public Interest Career. The Center is committed to building a deep bench of attorneys committed to public interest work, and this event will help students think about how to build their careers and do public interest work past the fellowship stage.

This event is cosponsored by the BWLN.

Book Talk: Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow, authors of Say the Right Thing: How to Talk About Identity, Diversity, and Justice
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Watch the event recording.

Please join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging for a virtual book talk to celebrate the release of Say the Right Thing: How to Talk About Identity, Diversity, and Justice by Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow. Say the Right Thing is a practical, shame-free guide for navigating conversations about our differences in a time of rapid social change. Whether we’re managing diverse teams at work, navigating issues of inclusion at school, or challenging biased comments at a family barbecue, the book provides the tools to do good in our spheres of influence.

2022 Events

Public Justice & Private Harmony: An Evening with Former Attorney General Eric Holder & Dr. Sharon Malone
Wednesday, November 16, 2022, 6:00-7:15 p.m. EST
In-Person Event

Please join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network for a conversation with Former Attorney General Eric Holder and Dr. Sharon Malone, moderated by the BWLN’s Executive Director Jennifer Weiss-Wolf. This event is co-hosted by NYU’s John Brademas Center and NYU Law’s Brennan Center for Justice; the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; and the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law. Troy McKenzie, Dean and Cecelia Goetz Professor of Law at NYU Law, will deliver opening remarks.

FemTech and Privacy: Striking the Balance in a Post-Dobbs Reality (CLE)
Wednesday, November 2, 2022, 5:00-6:15 p.m. EDT
In-Person Event

In the aftermath of the leaked Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, warnings to period tracking app users went viral. The message? Ditch them immediately. Weeks later, a New York Times headline countered, “Deleting Your Period Tracker Won’t Protect You.” Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy for a panel discussion with academic, innovation, and advocacy experts who will explore how exactly such data is already or could be used — and misused. What privacy laws or legislation can be leveraged to protect FemTech users? And why does menstrual literacy — with or without tech tools — matter more than ever in our post-Dobbs reality?

NYU Law Forum—After Dobbs: The Future of Abortion, Privacy Rights, and Equality in the US
Wednesday, November 2, 2022, 1:10-2:25 p.m. EDT
In-Person Event

A conversation between:

Chris Hayes, Host, All In with Chris Hayes, MSNBC and Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law; Faculty Director, Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network

Promoting Women’s Rights in Asia & Globally: Timothy A. Gelatt Dialogue on the Rule of Law in East Asia
Friday, October 21, 2022, 1:10-2:25 p.m. EDT
Hybrid Event

The U.S.-Asia Law Institute holds the Gelatt Dialogue every year with a different theme but the same broad goal: to foster connection and improve understanding among the legal communities in Asia and the United States. Recent developments in the United States and Asia make this a good time to examine the state of women’s rights protection, with a particular focus on the interplay between domestic and international law and norms. The dialogue is co-sponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network.

IGNITE the Vote!
Thursday October 13, 2022, 5:00-6:00 p.m. EDT
Virtual event

Please join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network for a special session with IGNITE —  the largest, most diverse movement of young women owning their civic engagement and political leadership in the United States. Hear from two former and current IGINITE Fellows, Yasmeen Metellus (Birnbaum Women's Leadership Fellow, NYU Law '24) and Amaya Flores (Columbia University), about pathways to political leadership outside of campaigning for or holding elected office. They’ll provide a Voter Education 101, too, about how to navigate elections here in New York this season. And IGNITE’s Northeast Program Director Jacelyn Matthews will share more about IGNITE’s leadership and mobilization programs and ways for NYU Law students can get involved.

CDIB Speaker Series: Reproductive Justice After Roe with Loretta Ross
Thursday, October 6, 2022, 12:00-1:00 p.m. EDT
Virtual event

Join Professor Ross for a wide-ranging conversation with Professor Kenji Yoshino, Director of the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, about reproductive justice in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. What are the biggest challenges of this moment? What are the opportunities? And how can supporters of reproductive justice make progress in this daunting legal and political environment? This event is part of the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging speaker series and is cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network.

Book Talk: Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America
Monday, October 3, 2022, 1:00-2:15 p.m. EDT
Virtual event

Please join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network for a virtual book talk on Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America by Dahlia Lithwick. Lady Justice tells the gripping and heroic story of the women lawyers who fought the racism, sexism, and xenophobia of Donald Trump’s presidency — and won.

NYU Constitution Day 2022
Wednesday, September 21, 2022, 7:00-8:15 p.m. EDT
Virtual event

In celebration of Constitution Day 2022, the John Brademas Center of New York University and the NYU Steinhardt Verbatim Performance Lab (VPL) will use interview excerpts culled from data collected for VPL’s Portraits US: Polarization project and put them in conversation with a focus on the 14th Amendment: No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States.

Suddenly Silent: Strategies to Speak Up and Stand Out (for NYU Law students)
Tuesday, September 20, 2022, 5:00-6:30 p.m. EDT
Vanderbilt Hall 220

Do you find yourself looking for excuses not to talk in class? Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network; the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; and the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law for an interactive workshop to get you actively thinking and listening and contributing to classroom discussion.

The Enduring Effects of #MeToo
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 5:30-7:00 p.m. EDT

Five years ago, #MeToo sparked a wave of high-profile resignations and conversations about sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. Join the Beyond #MeToo Working Group, Shearman & Sterling, the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, and Alcalaw LLP for a discussion of the long-term effects of a viral moment: Have workplaces changed for women since #MeToo? Who has been held accountable? Why have women of color had to wait so long to see public accountability under the #MeToo movement? And is the continued prevalence of harassment complaints a sign of the success or the failure of the #MeToo movement?

Abortion is Essential to Democracy
Wednesday, April 20, 2022, 5:30-7:00 p.m. EDT
Virtual Event

Please join the Brennan Center for Justice, the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, and Ms. Magazine for a live-streamed conversation on the importance of abortion rights to democracy. What are the democratic dysfunctions that have led to this pivotal point? How should we consider parallel affronts to participation and representation — the wave of voting restrictions and outsize role of big money in politics — and the anti-abortion agenda? Can we look to state courts to provide new avenues for protecting reproductive rights? And what is the legal and societal impact of criminalizing pregnancy and abortion, especially on communities of color?

The Fight for Gender Justice, Part III: The Next Generation of Gender Justice
Wednesday, April 13, 2022, 6:00-7:15 p.m. EDT
Virtual event

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, the Ms. Foundation for Women, and the Georgetown Law Initiative on Gender Justice and Opportunity for the final event in The Fight for Gender Justice, a three-part speaker series presented by the BWLN and the Ms. Foundation. The speaker series, which began in Fall 2021 and continues through Spring 2022, convenes thought leaders from across advocacy organizations and the legal field to highlight the legal and advocacy battles at the forefront of the movement for gender justice.

This final program will focus on next-generation leaders and look ahead to the future of gender justice work. From empowering young people on gender justice issues to rethinking gender norms, the panel will explore how various advocates are laying the groundwork for long-term change.

Book Talk: The Farmer’s Lawyer: The North Dakota Nine and the Fight to Save the Family Farm
Tuesday, April 5, 2022, 6:00-7:00 p.m. EDT
Virtual event

Please join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and State Energy & Environmental Impact Center at NYU Law and the Institute for Public Knowledge at NYU for a virtual book talk on The Farmer’s Lawyer: The North Dakota Nine and the Fight to Save the Family Farm, the unforgettable true story of a young lawyer's impossible legal battle to stop the federal government from foreclosing on thousands of family farmers.

Book Talk: Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality
Monday, March 28, 2022, 6:30-7:30 p.m. EDT
Virtual event

Please join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, Law Alumni of Color Association, and the Women of Color Collective for a virtual book talk on Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality by Tomiko Brown-Nagin. The first major biography of one of our most influential judges — an activist lawyer who became the first Black woman appointed to the federal judiciary — Civil Rights Queen provides an eye-opening account of the twin struggles for gender equality and civil rights in the 20th century. Sherrilyn Ifill ’87 of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) will moderate.

Book Talk: Right Within and Inclusion on Purpose
Tuesday, March 22, 2022, 6:00-7:15 p.m. EDT
Virtual event

Please join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network; NYU Stern’s Center for the Future of Management; the Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Strategic Innovation; the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; the Law Alumni of Color Association; the Women of Color Collective; the NYU Women’s Leadership Forum; and NYU Wagner’s Black Student Association for a discussion on the challenges women of color face in the workplace and how the workplace needs to change, featuring Minda Harts, author of Right Within: How to Heal from Racial Trauma in the Workplace and Ruchika Tulshyan, author of Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work. Dr. Lisa Coleman, PhD of the NYU Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Strategic Innovation will moderate.

The Fight for Gender Justice, Part II: The Equal Rights Amendment in the 21st Century (CLE)
Tuesday, March 8, 2022, 6:00-7:15 p.m. EST
Virtual event

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, the Ms. Foundation for Women, the ERA Project of Columbia Law School's Center for Gender & Sexuality Law, and NYU Law Women and OUTLaw for The Equal Rights Amendment in the 21st Century, the second event in The Fight for Gender Justice, a three-part speaker series presented by the BWLN and the Ms. Foundation. This panel will examine the history and current status of the Equal Rights Amendment while discussing how passing the ERA could help advance key gender justice issues including LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive rights with a focused consideration of trans rights. The panel event will convene top advocates and scholars of the ERA to explore how law students, attorneys, individual advocates, and others can help pass this long-pending amendment with wide-ranging implications for inclusive gender justice.

Intersecting Identities: Gender, Race, and the Politics of Supreme Court Nominations
Thursday, March 3, 2022, 6:00-7:00 p.m. EST
Virtual event

Please join NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network; Law Alumni of Color Association; Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law; Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; American Constitution Society; Black Allied Law Students Association; Women of Color Collective; and Law Women for a panel discussion on the pending Supreme Court nomination and confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. The dynamic panel of experts will discuss Judge Jackson's nomination and address questions including: Why are diversity and representation so central to the current nomination conversation? How do jurists’ identities and backgrounds inform their work on the bench? What other measures of diversity on the Court should we be talking about? How have critics used gender and race to distract from conversations about potential nominees’ qualifications? And how might Judge Jackson’s confirmation shift the overall dynamics on the Court in years to come?

My Name is Pauli Murray: Film Screening and Talkback
Thursday, February 24, 2022, 5:30-8:00 p.m. EST
Virtual event

Please join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, the Law Alumni of Color Association, the Black Allied Law Students Association, If/When/How: Lawyering Reproductive Justice, OUTLaw, and the Women of Color Collective for a screening of My Name is Pauli Murray (2021). The documentary, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, tells the story of Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, the non-binary Black attorney, activist, poet, and priest whose ideas influenced Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Thurgood Marshall.

The screening was followed by a talkback with co-director Julie Cohen and Dr. Brittney Cooper, with introductory remarks by Professor Melissa Murray.

Book Talk: Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers
Tuesday, February 15, 2022, 6:00-7:00 p.m. EST
Virtual event

Please join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality at NYU, the Institute for Public Knowledge at NYU, Law Women, and NYU Law Review and for a virtual book talk on Deborah Tuerkheimer’s new book, Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers, which examines why we are primed to disbelieve allegations of sexual abuse — and how we can transform a culture and a legal system structured to dismiss accusers.

On the Divide: Film Screening and Talkback
Friday, February 4, 2022, 4:00 p.m. EST
Virtual event

Please join NYU’s Center for Media, Culture and History; Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies; and Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality; and NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network for a screening of On the Divide, followed by a post-screening talkback. On the Divide follows three Latinx people living in McAllen, Texas who, despite their different views, are connected by the most unexpected of places: the last abortion clinic on the U.S./Mexico border. As threats to the clinic and their personal safety mount, they are forced to make decisions they never could have imagined. Post-screening discussion with filmmakers Maya Cueva and Leah Galant with Elizabeth Sepper (Professor of Law, University of Texas at Austin). Moderated by Cynthia Lopez (Executive Director, New York Women in Film & TV).

2021 Events

Brennan Center LIVE: Justice on the Brink: Twelve Months That Transformed the Supreme Court
Wednesday, December 1, 2021, 6:00-7:00 p.m. EST
Virtual Event

The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a seismic shift in the history of the Supreme Court, cementing a conservative majority on the bench as the country experienced a pandemic, underwent a divisive presidential election, and witnessed the Capitol insurrection. In her new book, Justice on the Brink, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times writer Linda Greenhouse provides a behind-the-scenes look at the twelve months that reshaped the Supreme Court and the years of conservative activism behind the rise of Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Join us for a conversation with Greenhouse moderated by professor Melissa Murray of the NYU School of Law.

Produced in partnership with NYU’s John Brademas Center and the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network at NYU School of Law.

Analyzing Texas SB8 and Looking Ahead to Dobbs: A Roundtable Discussion on Reproductive Rights and Abortion Law
Wednesday, November 17, 2021, 12:45-2:15 p.m. EST
Virtual Event

Please join the N.Y.U. Journal of Legislation and Public Policy, the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, and NYU If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice for a virtual roundtable discussion on current legislative and constitutional attacks on the right to abortion.

The Future of Universal Family and Medical Leave
Tuesday, November 9, 2021, 3:45-5:00 p.m. EST
Virtual Event

The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world without a minimum standard of paid family or medical leave, even though universal paid leave enjoys strong public support. But Congress is currently considering legislation to create a national paid family leave policy in the United States as part of Biden’s Build Back Better bill. What is at stake for working families and employers? What are the larger policy implications of paid family leave for economic recovery, inequality, and the welfare of families? Join the Berkeley Center for the Study of Law and Society, the Berkeley Center for Law and Work, and the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Network for an expert panel talk about what universal paid family leave will mean for American working families.

Book Talk: The Family Roe: An American Story
Tuesday, November 2, 2021, 6:30-7:30 p.m. EDT
Virtual Event

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, the Brennan Center for Justice, If/When/How, and the Women of Color Collective (WoCC) at NYU Law and the Institute for Public Knowledge at NYU for a virtual book talk on The Family Roe: An American Story by Joshua Prager, which tells the story of the hidden lives behind Roe v. Wade (1973) — from its plaintiff Norma McCorvey to the activists and bystanders whose lives intertwined with the case — and traces a half century of struggle over abortion in America

The Fight for Gender Justice, Part I: Protecting Gender Identity & Expression for America’s Youth
Tuesday, October 19, 2021, 6:00-7:15 p.m. EDT
Virtual Event

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, OUTLaw, and the Ms. Foundation for Women for the first event in The Fight for Gender Justice, a three-part speaker series that will convene thought leaders from across advocacy organizations and the legal field to highlight the legal and advocacy battles at the forefront of the movement for gender justice. “Protecting Gender Identity & Expression for America’s Youth" will bring together top activists and attorneys fighting to protect the individual right to gender expression and freedom from discrimination. The panelists will discuss the anti-trans legislation pending across the U.S. that aims to restrict access to gender- affirming health care, participation on sports teams consistent with their gender identity, and other recent restrictions.

NYU Law Forum: Demanding or Demeaning? Powerful Workplaces and the Cuomo Scandal
Wednesday, October 13, 2021, 12:45-2:00 p.m. Eastern
Virtual Event

Drawing on the findings of report released by New York Attorney General Letitia James in August 2021 and other reporting on allegations that ultimately prompted Governor Cuomo’s resignation, panelists at this Forum will discuss how workplaces—particularly those that hold themselves out as “demanding”—often also end up being demeaning. What leads to a workplace with this kind of culture? What are the tradeoffs for working to improve cultures from the inside versus calling out problems from the outside? Did the way things played out with Governor Cuomo represent a triumph or failing of #MeToo? What does a powerful, professional workplace of respect look like?

This program is co-hosted by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network at NYU Law.

Suddenly Silent: Strategies to Speak Up and Stand Out (for NYU Law students)
Tuesday, October 12, 2021, 4:30-6:00 p.m. Eastern
Virtual Event

Do you find yourself looking for excuses not to talk in class? Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network; the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; and the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law for an interactive Zoom workshop to get you thinking on your feet, actively listening, and contributing to classroom discussion.

Book Talk: The Feminist War on Crime: The Unexpected Role of Women's Liberation in Mass Incarceration
Thursday, October 7, 2021, 6:00-7:00 p.m. EDT
Virtual Event

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and the Peter L. Zimroth on the Administration of Criminal Law at NYU Law and the Institute for Public Knowledge at NYU for a virtual book talk on The Feminist War on Crime: The Unexpected Role of Women's Liberation in Mass Incarceration with Aya Gruber, in conversation with Rachel Wechsler.

BWLN Symposium: The Marshall Plan for Moms: What Would It Mean for America to Put Care First?
Friday, September 24, 2021, 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. EDT
Virtual event

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network (BWLN) and the Marshall Plan for Moms for the BWLN's annual symposium on The Marshall Plan for Moms: What Would It Mean for America to Put Care First?.

Panel 1 - Taking Stock: America’s Care Economy in 2021

Panel 2 - Looking Forward: Reimagining an Equitable Care Infrastructure

Leadership Roundtable - Reflections on a Marshall Plan for Moms

BWLN/All Places/Beyond #MeToo Panel, Part II: Investor-Driven Diversity
Tuesday, September 14, 2021, 12:00-1:00 p.m. EDT
Virtual Event

Please join NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network; All Places; and the Beyond #MeToo Working Group on Corporate Governance, Compliance, and Risk for a conversation focused on how investors can act as allies to advance diversity goals. The panel will cover how investors can drive companies’ approach to corporate governance, particularly as regards diversity, inclusion, and belonging; how regulators influence diversity decisions at companies; and how investor diversity can contribute to board and company diversity.

Book Talk: Ladies Get Paid: Breaking Barriers, Owning Your Worth, and Taking Command of Your Career
Thursday, August 12, 2021, 6:00-7:00 p.m. EDT
Virtual event

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network for a virtual book talk with author Claire Wasserman about her recent book, Ladies Get Paid: Breaking Barriers, Owning Your Worth, and Taking Command of Your Career.

BWLN/LAA/LACA Panel: #FreeBritney: The Dynamics of Sex, Money & Power
Wednesday, July 21, 2021, 1:00-2:00 p.m. EDT
Virtual event

Britney Spears’ challenges to her ongoing conservatorship reveal stark truths about how the American legal system can suppress individual rights under the guise of protection. Join NYU Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, the NYU Law Alumni Association, and the Law Alumni of Color Association for a conversation about the broader legal implications of #FreeBritney and how the current cultural moment intersects with the ongoing reproductive and racial justice movements.

Book Talk: Misogynoir Transformed: Black Women's Digital Resistance by Moya Bailey
Wednesday, July 14, 2021, 6:00-7:00 p.m. EDT
Virtual event

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network; the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law; the Black Allied Law Students Association (BALSA); and OUTLaw at NYU Law and the African American Policy Forum for a virtual book talk on Misogynoir Transformed: Black Women's Digital Resistance with author Dr. Moya Bailey.

Misogynoir Transformed: Black Women's Digital Resistance is available for purchase from NYU Press; Café con Libros, a womxn-of-color-owned business; and many other booksellers.

BWLN/PCCE/Beyond #MeToo Panel: Beyond Diversifying Your Board
Wednesday, April 21, 2021, 12:00-1:15 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event 

Please join NYU Law’s Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement and the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network for Beyond Diversifying Your Board, a conversation with the Beyond #MeToo Working Group on Corporate Governance, Compliance, and Risk. As new rules and regulations governing board diversity grow commonplace, this event explores the next step: how to ensure all board members can exercise their power to effect change and enhance diversity efforts throughout their organizations. The expert panel, moderated by PCCE Executive Director Alicyn Cooley, will discuss practical strategies new corporate board members can use to assert themselves and influence the rest of their boards, as well as ways boards can empower their members to effectuate change.

CDIB Speaker Series: OK Boomer, Let’s Talk: Making Peace in the Generation Wars
Thursday, April 8, 2021, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event 

In her book, OK Boomer, Let’s Talk (2020), NYU Law alum Jill Filipovic ’08 explores generational inequalities across a range of subjects—from jobs to housing, climate to technology, family to culture. Join Ms. Filipovic in conversation with Kenji Yoshino, Director of the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, to discuss what’s needed to achieve generational equity in legal workplaces and beyond.

2020-21 Jacob K. Javits Professorship Lecture: “Democracy, Inequality, and Civil Unrest”
Tuesday, March 30, 2021, 2:30-4:00 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event

Join Professor Archer and Professor Murray as they discuss events surrounding the 2020 election, heightening tensions around police shootings, widening income and social inequality, and how the demands for debate and exchange that are vital to democracy are affected when individual voices are suppressed or subordinated in order to maintain public safety. Trevor Morrison, Eric M. and Laurie B. Roth Professor of Law, will moderate the conversation, which will open with a welcome from Deputy Provost C. Cybele Raver, Ph.D., Professor of Applied Psychology at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Carla Javits, President of The Marian B. and Jacob K. Javits Foundation and President and CEO of the Roberts Enterprise Development Fund (REDF), will provide closing remarks.

Book Talk: Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union by Amanda L. Tyler and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Monday, March 22, 2021, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and the NYU Office of Global Inclusion, Diversity, and Strategic Innovation for a book talk on the upcoming book, Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue: A Life’s Work Fighting for a More Perfect Union by Amanda L. Tyler and the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

This event is co-sponsored by the NYU Brademas Center.

Gender Expression & Client Service in the Courtroom (CLE)
Monday, March 15, 2021, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event

Especially when clients face a loss of life or liberty, what balance of conformity to expectations and authenticity results in the most effective advocacy from attorneys who don’t fit the straight white cisgender male norm that judges and juries still expect to see? Where can your identity be an asset to your client? Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network; the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; and OUTLaw for a discussion on the tightropes women, nonbinary, and transgender attorneys walk in the courtroom to provide exemplary client service. This event is free and open to members of the NYU Law community and the public.

BWLN Symposium: Politics, Power, & Women’s Leadership
Friday, March 5, 2021, 1:00-5:00 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event

The half-day symposium will explore how we can transform 2020’s historic levels of civic engagement into long-term gains through sustained work in the political and legal spheres. Co-sponsored by the N.Y.U. Journal of Legislation and Public Policy and the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law, the symposium will highlight policies and legislation to support and help return women to the workforce as we build back better from this “She-cession,” as well as discussing the wide range of ways to sustain and deepen civic engagement in the coming years. The day will conclude with a keynote conversation between Representative Katie Porter (CA-45) and Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and faculty director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network at NYU Law.

Women of Color Collective Honors Chantá Parker ’06
Wednesday, February 24, 2021, 6:00-7:00 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event

Join the Women of Color Collective (WoCC) for their annual event honoring alumnae of color for their outstanding achievements in the field of law. The 2021 WoCC Woman of Distinction Award will be presented to Chantá Parker ’06, Managing Director of the Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit. This program is co-sponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and the Office of Alumni Relations. Visit the NYU Law calendar listing for more information.

Law Women Honors Susan Herman ’74
Thursday, February 11, 2021, 6:00-7:00 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event

Join Law Women for their annual event honoring alumnae who have been groundbreakers in the field of law. This program is co-sponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and the Office of Alumni Relations. The 2021 Law Women Alumna of the Year Award will be presented to Susan Herman ’74, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School. Visit the NYU Law calendar listing for more information.

The 8th Screening and Discussion
Friday, January 29, 2021, 5:00-7:30 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event
Watch the recording.

The 8th (94 mins, 2020, directed by Aideen Kane, Lucy Kennedy, and Maeve O’Boyle) traces Ireland’s campaign to remove the 8th Amendment, a constitutional ban on abortion enacted in 1983. The film follows the country’s transformation from a conservative state in thrall to the Catholic church to a more liberal secular society. It features voices from both sides of the debate, while highlighting the dynamic pro-choice leaders that drove the change, such as veteran campaign activist Aibhe Smyth.

This program is co-sponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, the Center for Religion and Media, NYU Cinema Studies, the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, Glucksman Ireland House, and Irish Screen America.

Book Talk: The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed as You Are by Alicia Menendez
Thursday, January 28, 2021, 6:00-7:00 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network; the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; the Latinx Law Students Association (LaLSA); and the Women of Color Collective (WoCC) at NYU Law for a book talk on The Likeability Trap: How to Break Free and Succeed as You Are, featuring:

The Likeability Trap is available for purchase from Café con Libros, a womxn of color-owned business, and many other booksellers.

NYU Law Forum—Crisis in Washington
Friday, January 15, 2021, 1:00 PM - 2:30 p.m.
Virtual event

Urgent concerns raised by recent and ongoing events in Washington have prompted us to schedule this extraordinary Forum, even as the Law School remains on winter break. Dean Trevor Morrison will moderate a discussion among NYU Law experts in constitutional law, criminal law, and national security. This program is co-sponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and the Reiss Center on Law and Security.

2020 Events

Feminism, Women's Leadership, and the Barrett Confirmation
Monday, November 16, 2020 6:00-7:00 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event

Please join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network at NYU Law and A Better Balance for a conversation about the gendered implications of the Barrett Supreme Court confirmation process. The panelists will discuss how the confirmation process highlighted the tightropes women walk in public life, the distinction between gendered attacks and legitimate scrutiny of a lifetime nominee to the Supreme Court, and the potential long-term effects of this appointment.

This event is co-sponsored by If/When/How, Law Women, and the Women of Color Collective.

The Unconstitutional Tampon Tax: Gender Discrimination in Tax Policy
Wednesday, November 11, 2020, 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event

The Tax Law Association welcomes everyone to a talk on the constitutionality of the tampon tax, or any tax on gender specific products and services. Professors Bridget J. Crawford and Emily Gold Waldman will present their most recent publication on this topic on Wednesday, November 11th. from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm (EST).

Link to recent publication by Professors Crawford and Waldman.

This event is co-sponsored by Law Women, the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, and the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

Book Talk | Strongmen, Entitled Men: A Conversation Between Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Kate Manne
Monday, November 9, 2020, 5:00 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event
Watch the recording.

NYU’s Institute for Public Knowledge, the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network at NYU Law, and Public Books invite you to a book talk for Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present and Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women featuring the authors Ruth Ben-Ghiat and Kate Manne.

CDIB Speaker Series: Women’s Leadership in the Age of COVID-19
Tuesday, October 27, 2020, 1:00-2:00 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event

Renowned Harvard Business School scholar, Robin Ely, has conducted groundbreaking research on work-life balance and gender inequality in the workplace. Join Professor Ely in conversation with Kenji Yoshino, Director of the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, to discuss the narratives and structures holding women back from progressing into senior roles in the legal profession and beyond, and the cultural change needed to drive gender equality in the age of COVID-19.

This event is part of the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging speaker series and is co-sponsored by the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Network.

NYU Constitution Day 2020: Voting Rights in America
Wednesday, September 23, 2020, 6:30 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event

The NYU Brademas Center, NYU Votes, NYU Government Affairs, and the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network at NYU Law will celebrate the signing of the U.S. Constitution with a special performance on the history of voting rights in America entitled You Can't Unring the Bell created by NYU Steinhardt's Verbatim Performance Lab.

Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship Day, is an American federal observance that recognizes the adoption of the United States Constitution (September 17, 1787) and those who have become U.S. citizens.

The Verbatim Performance Lab (VPL) investigates and performs words and gestures collected from found media artifacts and interview-based data. Through these investigations, VPL disrupts assumptions, biases and intolerances across a spectrum of political, cultural and social narratives.

Suddenly Silent: Strategies to Speak Up and Stand Out
Monday, September 21, 2020, 5:00-6:30 p.m. Eastern
Virtual event

Do you find yourself looking for excuses not to talk in class? Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network for an interactive Zoom workshop to get you thinking on your feet, actively listening, and contributing to classroom discussion. This event is open to current NYU Law students and is co-sponsored by the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law; Law Women; and the Women of Color Collective.

The Kavanaugh Files: Gender, Gesture, and the Making of a Supreme Court Justice
Tuesday, March 3, 2020, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
D'Agostino Hall, Lipton Hall, 108 West Third Street

The Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at NYU Law, together with the Verbatim Performance Lab at NYU Steinhardt, present The Kavanaugh Files, a verbatim performance of key moments from the Supreme Court confirmation hearings of fall 2018. Performers present the original words, gestures, and disfluencies of the real-life people, and in most cases, the genders have been inverted — women perform the roles that men had in the real hearings, and men perform the women. The Kavanaugh Files asks viewers to consider how our perception of a person’s behavior is influenced by their gender, and how that impact the ways in which we respond to national events. The Kavanaugh Files was conceived by Verbatim Performance Lab (VPL), a project of NYU Steinhardt's Program in Educational Theatre. This program is co-sponsored by the American Constitution Society student chapter at NYU Law, BALSA, LaLSA, Law Women, and the Women of Color Collective.

“That Important Trust”: Suffrage & Citizenship 100 Years After the Nineteenth Amendment
Wednesday, February 5, 2020, 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network for a half-day symposium observing the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, which states that the right to vote cannot be denied or abridged based on sex.

Historical Perspectives on Citizenship and the Nineteenth Amendment – 9:15-10:45 a.m.

Contemporary Perspectives on Citizenship and Equality – 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Lunchtime Discussion & Conclusion – 12:45-2:00 p.m.

2019 Events

Long Overdue: Eradicating Pregnancy Discrimination & Other Barriers to Workplace Equality
A Discussion with Congressman Jerrold Nadler, A Better Balance, ACLU, and Others
Tuesday, November 12, 2019, 9:15-10:45 a.m.

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, A Better Balance, and Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), champion of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, for a special conversation on combating pregnancy discrimination and other key barriers to gender equality in the workplace, including harassment and pay inequity. The event will feature a panel of legal experts and advocates working to ensure a more just and equal society.

Understanding the Value of Diversity: A Close Look at Gender
Tuesday, October 29, 2019, 4:30-5:30 p.m.

This event is presented by the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging and co-sponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network. The conventional wisdom that “diversity is our strength” has recently come under fire. Advocates for diversity need a cogent response, and Professor Katherine W. Phillips, the Reuben Mark Professor of Organizational Character at Columbia Business School, is the one to provide it. Drawing on research conducted in a variety of settings — from mock juries to murder mystery simulations — Professor Phillips will explore how diversity can improve team performance, enhance creativity, and make individuals work harder to anticipate alternative viewpoints. Yet these strengths are not inevitable: Professor Phillips’ own research, and that of others, suggests important preconditions for unlocking the potential of diverse groups. Join Professor Phillips to learn how to harness the value of diversity — especially gender diversity — in the workplace and the classroom. More information, including a registration link, is available in the Law School calendar event listing.

Suddenly Silent: Strategies to Speak Up and Stand Out
October 7, 2019

Do you find yourself looking for excuses not to talk in class? Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network for an interactive workshop to get you thinking on your feet, actively listening, and contributing to classroom discussion, featuring Erin Murphy, Professor of Law and Chair, Inclusion & Diversity Committee; Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law and Faculty Director, Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network; and K.M. Zouhary Founder, Cadenza Communications

This event is intended for current NYU Law students and is co-sponsored by the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging & the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law.

Compensation and Negotiation Workshop
April 3, 2019

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network for a compensation and negotiation workshop led by Deb Ellis ’82. This program is intended for current NYU Law students and recent graduates. Combining presentation and roleplaying exercises, attendees will learn the basics of negotiation for compensation and walk away with practical skills they can use regardless of where they are in their careers. This event is co-sponsored by Law Women, the Office of Career Services, PILC, and the Women of Color Collective.

“The Role of Allies: Getting Beyond ‘Some of My Best Friends Are…’”
March 26, 2019

What does it mean to be an ally on issues of diversity and inclusion? How do I support someone from a marginalized group if I don't share their experience? What if I say the wrong thing? Join Lindsay Kendrick, Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion; Vincent Southerland, Executive Director of the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law; and David Glasgow, Executive Director of the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, for a facilitated conversation about these questions and more, using case studies and practical takeaways. The purpose of this event is to open an initial dialogue on the topic of allyship as it relates to law school and beyond, with an eye toward continued conversations of this sort in the months ahead.

This event is cosponsored by the Birnbaum Women's Leadership Network; the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; and the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law.

“Fair Enough? The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act at 10 Years”
Monday, January 28, 2019

Join the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network for a half-day symposium recognizing the 10-year anniversary of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. The first piece of legislation President Obama signed, the Act aims to ensure that workers are able to challenge unlawful pay discrimination and assert their rights under federal anti-discrimination laws. The BWLN’s symposium will feature panels on salary negotiation, fair pay, and a lunchtime discussion with Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center. By combining social science and strategies, the program is intended to offer an informative and useful look at the progress made since the Fair Pay Act was signed in 2009 and at all the work that remains to be done against pay discrimination.

This event offered a maximum of 5 CLE credits in New York State in the Areas of Professional Practice. It is appropriate for both newly admitted and experience attorneys. (Fair Pay Panel: 1.5 CLE / Salary Negotiation Panel: 1.5 CLE / Lunchtime Conversation: 1.5 CLE)

Fair Pay Panel - 9:00-10:30 a.m.
 

Salary Negotiation Panel – 10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.

Lunchtime Discussion & Conclusion – 12:15-1:30 p.m.

2018 Events

“Assessing #MeToo’s Impact on Employment Law”
November 28, 2018

This event is presented by the Center for Labor and Employment Law and co-sponsored by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network and Law Women. This program will offer a look at recent developments in the #MeToo movement, including New York legislation that aims to bar mandatory arbitration for sexual harassment claims, corporate in-house responses, and a review of EEOC filings and prevention initiatives.

RBG Screening and Discussion
October 9, 2018

The Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network hosted a screening of RBG, the 2018 documentary that offers an inside look into the life and career of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Following the screening, Professor Melissa Murray moderated a conversation with Dean Trevor Morrison, who clerked for Justice Ginsburg from 2002-03; Amy Marshak ’11, who clerked for the Justice from 2015-16 and is now a litigator at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown Law; and Professor Arthur Miller, who appears in the film as a former classmate of Justice Ginsburg’s.

“From Anita Hill to Christine Blasey Ford: Looking Back and Looking Forward”
October 3, 2018

The Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network; the Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging; and the Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law presented “From Anita Hill to Christine Blasey Ford: Looking Back and Looking Forward,” a conversation between Professor Melissa Murray, co-faculty director of the BWLN, who testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in opposition to Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, and Professor Kim Taylor-Thompson, who was a member of Anita Hill’s legal team during the Clarence Thomas hearings. Professors Murray and Taylor-Thompson shared their personal experiences in these confirmation proceedings and reflected on how much has changed — and stayed the same — in the 27 years between Anita Hill and Christine Blasey Ford. Watch the video of their conversation below.

"Celebrating Over 125 Years of Women at NYU Law"
February 22, 2018

Hosted by the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network, Law Women, and the Women of Color Collective, the evening’s program celebrated over 125 years of women at the Law School and featured a panel of alumnae refelcting on their experiences as women in the law as both students and professionals. Moderated by Laura Sorice ’19, co-chair of Law Women during the 2017-18 academic year, panelists included Nancy Duff Campbell ’68, co-president emerita, National Women’s Law Center; Theane Evangelis ’03, partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Linda Gadsby ’92, vice president and deputy general counsel, Scholastic; Professor Florencia Marotta Wurgler ’01, BWLN co-faculty director; and Jenny Yang ’96, former commissioner, EEOC. Following the discussion, the audience was invited to identify steps they can take to support women’s achievements at NYU Law. Law Women continued their tradition of honoring an outstanding alumna who has been a groundbreaker in the field of law and presented their 2018 Alumna of the Year award to Sheila Birnbaum ’65, partner at Dechert and BWLN co-founder of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Network.