Ann C. Scales (May 29, 1952 – June 24, 2012) was an American lawyer, activist, and law professor at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

Sturm College of Law The Sturm College of Law ("Denver Law") is the professional graduate law school of the University of Denver. It is one of two law schools in the state of Colorado. Founded in 1892, the Sturm College of Law was one of the first in America's Mountai ...

from 2003 to 2012, where she taught in constitutional law, sexual orientation and the law, civil procedure and

tort A tort is a civil wrong that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with criminal wrongs that are punishable ...

s. She was a founder of the legal field of

feminist jurisprudence Feminist legal theory, also known as feminist jurisprudence, is based on the belief that the law has been fundamental in women's historical subordination. Feminist jurisprudence the philosophy of law is based on the political, economic, and socia ...

, and coined the term feminist jurisprudence in 1977.

Biography

Early life and education

Ann Catherine Scales was born in

Shawnee, Oklahoma Shawnee ( sac, Shânîheki) is a city in Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 29,857 in 2010, a 4.9 percent increase from the figure of 28,692 in 2000. The city is part of the Oklahoma Cit ...

. Her father

James R. Scales James Ralph Scales (May 27, 1919 – March 12, 1996) was president of Oklahoma Baptist University (his alma mater), 1961–1965, and eleventh president of Wake Forest University, from 1968-1983. He was a member of the Cherokee Nation and was active ...

was the president of

Oklahoma Baptist University Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU) is a private Baptist university in Shawnee, Oklahoma. It was established in 1910 under the original name of The Baptist University of Oklahoma. OBU is owned and was founded by the Baptist General Convention of O ...

from 1961 to 1965. He went on to be president of

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

from 1968 to 1983. Her mother, Elizabeth Ann Randel Scales, had also been a professor and was very active in the Red Cross and in arranging events at these universities. Scales received her B.A. from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

in history and philosophy in 1974 and her J.D. in 1978 from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, where she served on Harvard Legal Aid and the Harvard Women's Law Association. She was a member of the committee that put together "Celebration 25", a party and conference held in 1978 to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first women graduating from Harvard Law School. This project eventually turned into the Harvard Women's Law Journal, currently the Harvard Journal of Law & Gender.

Career

Ann Scales taught at the

University of New Mexico Law School The University of New Mexico School of Law (UNM Law or New Mexico Law) is the law school of the University of New Mexico, a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1947, it is the first and only law school in the state. ...

for 18 years. She was a visiting professor at the

University of Iowa College of Law The University of Iowa College of Law is the law school of the University of Iowa, located in Iowa City, Iowa. It was founded in 1865. Iowa is ranked the 28th-best law school in the United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or U ...

Boston College Law School Boston College Law School (BC Law) is the law school of Boston College. It is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts, about 1.5 miles from the university's main campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. With approximately 800 studen ...

, the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

Faulty of Law, and the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

. At the time of her death, she was a professor at the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law. Scales was among the founders of the field of

, and invented the term

in 1977 while planning a panel for Celebration 25. Throughout her career, Ann Scales practiced pro bono law in the fields of reproductive rights and LGBTQI rights. She argued the case in which the

New Mexico Supreme Court The New Mexico Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is established and its powers defined by Article VI of the New Mexico Constitution. It is primarily an appellate court which reviews civil and criminal decisi ...

became the first high court of any state to hold that abortion funding is required by women's interest in equality. She also worked on the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

football gang rape case; the effort to bring a women's marathon to the Olympics; and R. v. Butler, a pornography case in which Canada's Supreme Court redefined obscenity based on the standard of harm it inflicts, particularly to women. Scales, a supporter of

postmodernism Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or Rhetorical modes, mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by philosophical skepticism, skepticis ...

and

Critical legal studies Critical legal studies (CLS) is a school of critical theory that developed in the United States during the 1970s.Alan Hunt, "The Theory of Critical Legal Studies," Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, Vol. 6, No. 1 (1986): 1-45, esp. 1, 5. Se DOI, 10.1 ...

, argued that objective reality was a myth constructed by the

patriarchy Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical anthropological term for families or clans controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males a ...

. Ann Scales was a former rodeo rider and was in part descended from Cherokee Native Americans. Some of her ancestors walked the

Trail of Tears The Trail of Tears was an ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of approximately 60,000 people of the "Five Civilized Tribes" between 1830 and 1850 by the United States government. As part of the Indian removal, members of the Cherokee, ...

from North Carolina to Oklahoma. She died on June 24, 2012, in a hospice in Denver, Colorado, as a result of massive brain trauma after a fall down the stairs in her home earlier in the month.

Publications

Books

*''Legal Feminism: Activism, Lawyering, and Legal Theory''. NYU Press, 2006.

Journal articles

"Student Gladiators and Sexual Assault: A New Analysis of Liability for Injuries Inflicted by College Athletes"
'' Michigan Journal of Gender & Law'' Vol. 15, No. 205 (2008–2009). U Denver Legal Studies Research Paper No. 07-39.
"Surviving Legal De-Education: An Outsider's Guide"
''

Vermont Law Review The ''Vermont Law Review'' is a law review edited and published by students at Vermont Law School Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) is a private law and public policy graduate school in South Royalton, Vermont. It offers several degrees, i ...

'', 1990. *"Soft on Defense: The Failure to Confront Militarism". 20 ''Berkeley Journal of Gender, Law & Justice'' 369. *"Law and Feminism: Together in Struggle". 51 '' University of Kansas Law Review'' 291 (February 2003). *"The Jurisprudence of the Military-Industrial Complex". 1 ''

Seattle Journal for Social Justice The ''Seattle Journal for Social Justice'' is a peer-reviewed student-edited law journal of the Seattle University School of Law Seattle University School of Law, or Seattle Law School, or SU Law (formerly University of Puget Sound School of L ...

'' 541 (Spring/Summer 2003). *"Toward A Feminist Jurisprudence". ''Indiana Law Journal'', 1981. *"Disappearing Medusa: The Fate of Feminist Legal Theory?". 20 ''Harvard Women's Law Journal'' 34 (Spring 1997). *"Feminist Legal Method: Not So Scary". 2 ''UCLA Women's Law Journal'' 1 (Spring 1992). *"Midnight Train to Us". ''

Cornell Law Journal The ''Cornell Law Review'' is the flagship legal journal of Cornell Law School. Originally published in 1915 as the ''Cornell Law Quarterly'', the journal features scholarship in all fields of law. Notably, past issues of the ''Cornell Law Rev ...

'' Page 710, Vol. 75. No. 3 (March 1990). *"The Emergence of Feminist Jurisprudence: An Essay". 95 ''

Yale Law Journal The ''Yale Law Journal'' (YLJ), known also as the ''Yale Law Review'', is a student-run law review affiliated with the Yale Law School. Published continuously since 1891, it is the most widely known of the eight law reviews published by students ...

'' 1373–1403 (1986). *"The Women's Peace Movement and Law: Feminist Jurisprudence as Oxymoron?". Volume 59, Issue 6, ''

Faculty of Law, University of Toronto The University of Toronto Faculty of Law (U of T Law, UToronto Law) is the law school of the University of Toronto. The Faculty's admissions process is the most selective of law schools in Canada and is one of the most selective in North America. ...

'', 1988.

References

DU Prof. Ann Scales Moved to Hospice After Brain Trauma

Law Week Colorado ''Law Week Colorado'' is Colorado's weekly online news source for lawyers and an information source on legal issues in the state and around the nation. It is available to the public and circulates widely to lawyers in private practice and public s ...

, 2012-06-19.
Dean on Professor Scales: "We Won't See The Likes Of Her Again"

, 2012-06-25.
Former Winston-Salem resident was pioneer in field of feminist legal theory

Winston-Salem Journal The ''Winston-Salem Journal'' is an American, English language daily newspaper primarily serving Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, North Carolina. It also covers Northwestern North Carolina. The paper is owned by ...

, 2012-06-26.
Ann Scales, Former UNM Law Professor, Succumbs to Injuries

University of New Mexico School of Law The University of New Mexico School of Law (UNM Law or New Mexico Law) is the law school of the University of New Mexico, a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1947, it is the first and only law school in the state. ...

, 2012-06-25.
A 'Conversation With ...' series to host author and lawyer Ann Scales on Tuesday, Oct. 5

. Accessed 2011-01-21. * Alfred Brophy
Ann Scales
The Faculty Lounge blog, 2012-06-24.
Faculty Profile: Ann C. Scales

. Accessed 2012-06-26.
A Conversation With Ann Scales - Wake Forrest University
* Bridget Crawford

In Memory of Ann Scales 1952–2012. Feminist Law Professors blog. 2012-06-27. {{DEFAULTSORT:Scales, Ann 1952 births 2012 deaths American civil rights lawyers 20th-century American women lawyers American legal scholars American legal writers Harvard Law School alumni Wellesley College alumni Philosophers of law Oklahoma lawyers Writers from Oklahoma People from Shawnee, Oklahoma University of New Mexico faculty American feminists American women legal scholars 20th-century American lawyers American women academics 21st-century American women Deaths from falls