Sylvia A. Law
Encyclopedia
Sylvia A. Law is the Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law, Medicine and Psychiatry and the Co-Director of the Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Program at New York University
School of Law.
in 1942 and attended public schools in Minnesota, South Dakota
and Montana
. She earned her B.A. (1964) from Antioch College
, and her J.D. (1968) from New York University School of Law
.
For three decades, Law has been one of the nation's leading scholars in the fields of health law, women's rights, poverty, and constitutional law. She has played a major role in dozens of civil rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and in lower state and federal courts, and has testified before Congress and state legislatures on a range of issues. In 1984, Law became the first lawyer in the United States selected as a MacArthur Prize Fellow. She has been active in the Society of American Law Teachers, served as president of the organization from 1988-1990 and was honored by the organization as Law Teacher of the Year in 2001. In 2004, Prof. Law was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
.
She lives in New York City, Woodstock, New York and Kailua, Hawaii. Her son, Benjamin Ensminger-Law was born in 1977 and is a banker in New York City.
Law also has dyslexia.
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
School of Law.
Biography
Law was born in MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
in 1942 and attended public schools in Minnesota, South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
and Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. She earned her B.A. (1964) from Antioch College
Antioch College
Antioch College is a private, independent liberal arts college in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. It was the founder and the flagship institution of the six-campus Antioch University system. Founded in 1852 by the Christian Connection, the college began operating in 1853 with politician and...
, and her J.D. (1968) from New York University School of Law
New York University School of Law
The New York University School of Law is the law school of New York University. Established in 1835, the school offers the J.D., LL.M., and J.S.D. degrees in law, and is located in Greenwich Village, in the New York City borough of Manhattan....
.
For three decades, Law has been one of the nation's leading scholars in the fields of health law, women's rights, poverty, and constitutional law. She has played a major role in dozens of civil rights cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and in lower state and federal courts, and has testified before Congress and state legislatures on a range of issues. In 1984, Law became the first lawyer in the United States selected as a MacArthur Prize Fellow. She has been active in the Society of American Law Teachers, served as president of the organization from 1988-1990 and was honored by the organization as Law Teacher of the Year in 2001. In 2004, Prof. Law was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
.
She lives in New York City, Woodstock, New York and Kailua, Hawaii. Her son, Benjamin Ensminger-Law was born in 1977 and is a banker in New York City.
Law also has dyslexia.
Representative Publications
- "Commercial Sex: Beyond Decriminalization," 73 California Law Review 526 (2000)
- "White Privilege and Affirmative Action," 32 Akron Law Review 603 (1999)
- "Sex Discrimination and Insurance for Contraception," 73 Washington Law Review 363 (1998)
- "Homosexuality and the Social Meaning of Gender," 1988 Wisconsin Law Review 187 (1998)
- "Ending Welfare as We Know It," 49 Stanford Law Review 471 (1997)
- Law and the American Health Care System (1997)
- "Physician Assisted Death: An Essay on Rights and Remedies," 55 Maryland Law Review 292 (1996)
- "Crystal Eastman: NYU Law Graduate," 66 New York University Law Review 1963 (1991)
- "Rethinking Sex and the Constitution," 132 University of Pennsylvania Law Review 955 (1984)
- "Women, Work, Welfare and the Preservation of Patriarchy," 131 University of Pennsylvania Law Review 1249 (1983)
- Pain and Profit: The Politics of Malpractice (1978)
- Blue Cross: What Went Wrong? (2nd ed. 1976)