Date: Monday, October 5, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET/11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CT/10:00 AM – 11:00 AM MT/9:00 AM – 10:00 AM PT
In this interactive discussion, scholars Jennifer Brinkley and Tracy Thomas discuss their new books exploring the historical development of equal protection law for gender equality. Thomas discusses the emerging law following the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment that established the baseline of equality through the lens of her book, The First Woman Judge: The Life and Legacy of Florence Allen (U. Cal. Press 2026). Brinkley then follows the trajectory of equal protection law into sex equality for jury service, led by judge, lawyer, and ACLU activist Dorothy Kenyon, the subject of her book, Justice Was Her Calling: The Fierce and Fascinating Life of Dorothy Kenyon (U. Cal. Press 2026). Together they showcase how women did the work themselves of pushing for legal reform to transform the longstanding subordination of women in the law.
Jennifer Brinkley, Assistant Professor, University of Dayton School of Law
Jennifer L. Brinkley has a J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law, practiced law and taught at the University of Colorado at Denver, Western Kentucky University, and was a professor of legal studies at the University of West Florida.
Brinkley’s research focuses on women and the law issues. Her work has been published in Kentucky Law Journal, Quinnipiac Law Review, Northern Illinois University Law Review, FAWL Journal, Legal Writing: Journal of Legal Writing Institute, South Carolina Law Review, LMU Law Review, Kentucky Bench & Bar,The Legal Educator, and The Young Lawyer.
Brinkley has experience working for a civil law firm, in a solo law practice, in a corporate position, and as a prosecutor. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting and a Master of Arts in Criminology from Western Kentucky University. She earned her J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law.
Tracy A. Thomas, Seiberling Chair of Constitutional Law and Director, Constitutional Law Center, The University of Akron School of Law
Tracy Thomas is the Seiberling Chair of Constitutional Law and Director of the Center for Constitutional Law. She teaches Constitutional Law, Remedies, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Family Law. Professor Thomas served in leadership as Associate Dean for Institutional Excellence and Director of Faculty Research.
Prior to joining the Akron Law faculty, Professor Thomas clerked for Judge Ferdinand F. Fernandez on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She was a litigation attorney for Covington & Burling and Neighborhood Legal Services in Washington, D.C. She graduated with honors from Miami University and Loyola Law School, and holds a master’s in Public Administration.
Professor Thomas is a prolific scholar, writing over thirty articles in the fields of constitutional law and remedies. She is the editor for the casebook Remedies: Public and Private (West). Thomas is the author of three books on legal history. Her scholarship has appeared in leading law reviews including the Stanford Journal of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Minnesota Law Review, William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, and Constitutional Commentary. She has been honored as a Faculty Scholar of the Year. Professor Thomas’s work has been cited by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second and D.C. Circuits, and the Supreme Courts of Georgia, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington. The National Constitution Center featured her expertise in a podcast on constitutional history.
