Digital Commons Network^™

Urbanormativity, Spatial Privilege, And Judicial Blind Spots In Abortion Law, Lisa Pruitt

Lisa R Pruitt

State laws regulating abortion have proliferated dramatically in recent years. Twenty-two states adopted 70 different restrictions in 2013 alone. Between 2011 and 2013, state legislatures passed 205 abortion restrictions, exceeding the 189 enacted during the entire prior decade. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently upheld as constitutional several such restrictions, parts of Texas H.B. 2 (2013), in Planned Parenthood of Texas v. Abbott. That court is currently considering the constitutionality of a similar Mississippi law. These and other recent cases raise issues likely to be heard soon by the U.S. Supreme Court. Among the regulations at …

How You Gonna’ Keep Her Down On The Farm, Lisa R. Pruitt

Lisa R Pruitt

Gender, Geography & Rural Justice, Lisa R. Pruitt

Lisa R Pruitt

Like other legal scholars, feminists often think about social change over time, using history as a lens to reveal disadvantage and injustice. They have demonstrated, for example, that the public/private divide and related separate spheres ideology are socially contingent developments based on evolving perceptions of women and gender roles. Shifts in such perceptions have thus informed legal changes, and vice versa.

I argue in this Article that a more grounded and more nuanced understanding of women’s lived realities requires legal scholars to engage not only history, but also geography. Because spatial aspects of women’s lives implicate inequality and moral agency, …

Rural Families And Work-Family Issues, Lisa Pruitt

Lisa R Pruitt

This essay, an entry for the on-line Sloan Work and Family Encyclopedia, provides an overview of work-family challenges in the context of rural America. Among the issues addressed are lack of economic diversification and opportunity; deficits in human capital; the dearth of childcare, transportation and other services that facilitate employment; and the deeply entrenched character of gender roles in rural societies. The entry discusses not only concerns related to rural socioeconomic disadvantage, but also those arising from the distances that separate rural residents from work, educational opportunities, and services. The essay notes that rural families are sometimes disserved by policies …

A Kinder, Gentler Law School? Race, Ethnicity, Gender, And Legal Education At King Hall, Lisa Pruitt

Lisa R Pruitt

Diversity is touted as a preeminent concern and important goal of the legal profession generally and of the UC Davis School of Law specifically. Known as King Hall (after Martin Luther King, Jr.), the UC Davis School of Law is relatively diverse compared to other law schools and enjoys a reputation as a kinder, gentler place to study law. This article and the study on which it is based investigate whether King Hall truly is, for students of various demographic backgrounds, the uniquely supportive community it purports to be. The article thus contributes to the burgeoning literature on the influence …

Law Review Story, Lisa Pruitt

Lisa R Pruitt

This essay is the story of the author’s election as editor-in-chief of the Arkansas Law Review and of her tenure in that role. The story implicates a range of legal issues including hate speech, sexual harassment, sex discrimination, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. It is also the tale of the author’s feminist epiphany and of the law school’s failure to respond to the harassment. It was published in the 50th anniversary issue of the Arkansas Law Review.