The Court and Gender: Family, Marriage, and Gender Differences Gateway

FindLaw Internet Legal Resources: Barber v. Barber (alimony)
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?navby=case&court=us&vol=62&invol=582

This site presents an 1858 case between a husband and wife who were divorced "a mensa et thoro" (meaning that they were legally separated but could not remarry). The question was whether the woman in such a case could be allowed to live in another state from her husband, and whether the woman could sue her husband (with the help of a "next friend) for alimony which hasn't been paid. The Court decided that the woman had to right to both live where she wished, and to sue her husband, although she could not do it without a "next friend". The site is a thorough look at the case, including arguments and opinions of the court. It is rather difficult to read due to the number of legal phrases, but would be interesting for teachers and possibly students who are researching cases dealing with women's rights.

Breaking New Ground, Reed v. Reed, Supreme Court Decisions and Women's Rights, The Learning Center, The Supreme Court Historical Society (divorce/estate rights)
http://www.supremecourthistory.org/05_learning/subs/05_e01.html

Part of the Supreme Court Historical Society's Learning Center, this page is about Reed v. Reed (1971) the case that marked the first time since the Fourteen Amendment that a state law was overturned, on the grounds of discrimination against women. Under an 1864 Idaho law, when a sixteen-year-old boy died, his father (the non-custodial parent following the parents' divorce) was automatically named administrator of his son's estate. After being rejected by 16 lawyers, Sally Reed convinced Allen Derr to argue the case, going all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States where she prevailed. The page includes a photograph of Reed and Derr, along with a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg (who was an attorney on Sally Reed's team) and the story is told engagingly. This is an excellent secondary source webpage, one which (if coupled with the actual primary source of the decision) would make a very solid one-day lesson. It is suitable for middle to high school government/civics students, as well as educators, looking for a landmark case on which to focus.

FindNet Legal Resources: Reed v. Reed (divorce/estate rights)
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=404&invol=71

Part of the FindNet Legal Resources website, this site presents the Supreme Court opinions and arguments for the Reed v. Reed case. This case involves an Idaho law which dictated preference for a male when a man and a woman with equal right apply to become administrators of an estate. The Supreme Court argued the constitutionality of this law and found that it violated the Fourteenth Amendment. This site is an interesting one for teachers and students researching cases dealing with gender issues, or who are examining the opinions of specific justices. High school students may need help with some of the legal vocabulary.

Legal Information Institute: Reed v. Reed
http://straylight.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/historics/USSC_CR_0404_0071_ZS.html

This website, created by the Legal Information Institute at Cornell University, provides a more detailed summary of the 1971 Reed v. Reed case. In addition, it includes excerpts from the Constitution and the Fourteenth Amendment. This site is appropriate for high school grades 10 through 12, specifically those who can read at a higher level. It is a good resource when used in conjunction with the Oyez site. Overall, the website provides an archive of Supreme Court decisions from 1990 to the present that is organized by topic, author and party. Finally, any high school Government, Law or Civics class will find the site's glossary of legal terms to be a valuable resource.

National Women's Law Center: Nguyen v. INS (citizenship)
http://www.nwlc.org/details.cfm?id=756&section=newsroom

As stated on the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) web site, "NWLC is a non-profit organization that has been working since 1972 to expand the possibilities for women and their families at work, in school, and in virtually every aspect of their lives. NWLC focuses on major concerns of women and girls, including family economic security, education, employment opportunities, and health, with special attention given to the concerns of low-income women." This site has an abundance of resources that can be utilized in the exploration of gender-equity issues in a variety of areas including: athletics, child care and early education, child and family support, education, employment, heath, judges, courts, and women's rights, reproductive rights, sexual harassment, social security, tax, and women and the military.

The Supreme Court case Nguyen v. INS is interesting as it upholds the imposing of additional requirements on fathers for the granting of American citizenship to children born out-of-wedlock. The NWLC offers, in the press release, their opinion and concern related to the Court's decision. There are not additional links to support further research into the Supreme Court case and decision, however, the position the organization takes on the topic could be used as one side in a class debate and as the foundation for further research on the decision and the issue.

Oyez U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia: Reed v. Reed (divorce/estate rights)
http://www.oyez.org/oyez/resource/case/322/

Oyez's original founders envisioned this project as the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the U.S. Supreme Court." With the help of Richard Barone of Northwestern's Learning Technologies Group, Oyez has become a multimedia website including case files ranging in subject from civil rights to criminal procedure. The file includes an abstract or overview that includes dates, the question at hand and its conclusion. Each file includes a printer-friendly version of the abstract and more recent files offer audio clips of the oral argument and a list of resources. The site makes learning student-friendly by providing quiz questions relating the lives of baseball stars to those of Supreme Court justices. Oyez is useful for grades 7-12 as its abstracts are written in simplified language and can be used in American History as well as Civics and Government classes.

Reed v. Reed, a more recent civil rights gender discrimination case that took place in Idaho in 1971, also reflects citizenship issues raised by the fourteenth amendment. In this case, the plaintiff and defendant represent a former couple who each sought to be administrators of their dead son's estate. Since they had legally separated, the court ruled that the husband be appointed administrator. Mother and wife Sally Reed challenged this decision. The Supreme Court ruled that the law's dissimilar treatment of men and women was unconstitutional based on the Fourteenth Amendment.

This file includes an abstract, photos and biographies of each Supreme Court justice involved, written opinions of the court, as well as an audio clip of the oral argument.

Oyez U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia: Tuan Anh Nguyen v. INS (2001) (citizenship)
http://www.oyez.org/oyez/resource/case/1301/

This site offers an abstract of the Tuan Anh Nguyen v. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). This case dealt with a law that provides different rules for attaining U.S. citizenship, depending on whether the one parent with American citizenship is the mother or father. The Supreme Court ruled that it was constitutional to have different rules. Like the site listed above, this site offers the same bells and whistles.