Legal Momentum, founded in 1970, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the nation's first and longest-serving legal

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

group for women in the United States.

Betty Friedan Betty Friedan ( February 4, 1921 – February 4, 2006) was an American feminist writer and activist. A leading figure in the women's movement in the United States, her 1963 book ''The Feminine Mystique'' is often credited with sparking the se ...

and

Muriel Fox Muriel Fox (born February 3, 1928) is an American public relations executive and feminist activist. Childhood and education Muriel Fox's parents were Anne Rubenstein Fox and M. Morris Fox. In 1980, Muriel said (at a Mother's Day rally for the Equa ...

were its co-founders and Muriel Fox is an ongoing leader of the organization. Carol Baldwin Moody became President and CEO in April 2018. The organization, founded as the

NOW Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

Legal Defense and Education Fund, became Legal Momentum in 2004. Legal Momentum is a multi-issue organization dedicated to advancing

women’s rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

and gender equality, particularly in the areas of equal education opportunities; fairness in the courts; ending all forms of gender-based violence; workplace equality and economic empowerment. The organization employs three main strategies: impact litigation, policy advocacy, and educational initiatives. It is headquartered in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Major initiatives and involvement

* Wins ''Sprogis v. United Air Lines, Inc.'' (

marital status Civil status, or marital status, are the distinct options that describe a person's relationship with a significant other. ''Married'', '' single'', ''divorced'', and ''widowed'' are examples of civil status. ''Civil status'' and ''marital stat ...

discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of race, gender, age, relig ...

and

sex discrimination Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primaril ...

), 1970. * Establishes the ''Judicial Appointment Project'' and the ''National Judicial Education Program'' to increase the number of female

federal judges Federal judges are judges appointed by a federal level of government as opposed to the state/provincial/local level. United States A US federal judge is appointed by the US President and confirmed by the US Senate in accordance with Article 3 of ...

and eliminate gender bias in the courts, 1978-88. The National Judicial Education Program continues to develop training material

and provide training for judges, prosecutors, and multidisciplinary audiences nationwide in order to improve the handling of sexual assault case

*Beginning in 1991, worked with the Senate Judiciary Committee to craft and pass the

Violence Against Women Act The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) is a United States federal law (Title IV of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, ) signed by President Bill Clinton on September 13, 1994. The Act provided $1.6 billion toward investi ...

, 1994, and its 2000, 2005, 2011, and 2013 reauthorizations. Legal Momentum continues to craft and pass reauthorizations working with the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence * Wins ''Tallon v. Liberty Hose Co. No. 1'', (women as firefighters and gender-bias), 1984. * ''Robinson v. Jacksonville Shipyards'' (workplace

pornography Pornography (often shortened to porn or porno) is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the exclusive purpose of sexual arousal. Primarily intended for adults,

constitutes sexual harassment), 1991 and 1995. * Crafts the

, 1994, and its 2000, 2005, 2011, and 2013 reauthorizations. * Authors and works to enact the

Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act The Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE or the Access Act, Pub. L. No. 103-259, 108 Stat. 694) (May 26, 1994, ) is a United States law that was signed by President Bill Clinton in May 1994, which prohibits the following three things: ...

, 1994. *

Amicus curiae An ''amicus curiae'' (; ) is an individual or organization who is not a party to a legal case, but who is permitted to assist a court by offering information, expertise, or insight that has a bearing on the issues in the case. The decision on ...

in ''

United States v. Virginia ''United States v. Virginia'', 518 U.S. 515 (1996), is a landmark case in which the Supreme Court of the United States struck down the long-standing male-only admission policy of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in a 7–1 decision. Justice ...

'' involving the

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

's denial of admission to women, 1996. * Founded ''

Women's eNews ''Women's eNews'' is a nonprofit online news service based in New York City. It was founded by the late Rita Jensen. Lori Sokol, PhD, now leads the organization, assuming the title of Executive Director since July, 2016. Women's eNews publishes int ...

'' in 1999 as an online news service highlighting women's issues. *Argued '' United States v. Morrison'' (concerning the private right of action under the original

, including before the

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, 2000. * Supported the Child and Dependent Care tax credit, 2001. * ''Apessos v. Memorial Press Group'', (employer's discrimination against abuse victim by denying leave from work to obtain protection orders is unlawful), 2002. *

in '' Nevada Department of Human Resources v. Hibbs'', 2003. * Argued ''United States v. The City of New York'' (interpreting the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...

as applied to

welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

recipients), 2004. * The National Judicial Education Program (NJEP) posted an extensive online course on an almost invisible issue with critical implications for risk assessment, ''Intimate Partner Sexual Abuse: Adjudicating This Hidden Dimension of Domestic Violence Cases''. Focused on judges but useful for multidisciplinary audiences, the online course is free and open to all, http://www.njep-ipsacourse.org, 2008. *

in '' U.S. v. Castleman'' (gun ownership by convicted domestic abusers), 2014; Supreme Court's opinion cited information from the amicus brief by National Network to End Domestic Violence, Legal Momentum, et al. *

in '' Young v. United Parcel Service'' (workplace accommodations for pregnant workers), 2014. *Legal Momentum published in 2017 the Legal Toolkit for Women's Economic Equality, a comprehensive New York State guide that educates woman and advocates about rights and benefits in 13 cross-cutting areas that relate to women’s economic security. *Instrumental in passing legislation in 17 states outlawing sexual extortion

Impact Litigation

Legal Momentum pursues precedent-setting litigation to define and defend women’s rights. It brings cases of national significance to the field of women's rights and contributes amicus ("friend of the court") briefs in cases dealing with issues central to its mission in four main categories: Fairness in the Courts, Violence Against Women and Girls, Workplace Equality and Economic Empowerment, and Equal Education Opportunities. Notable cases include ''United Steelworkers v. Weber'', amicus in ''Grove City College v. Bell'', ''NOW v. Terry'', ''Robinson v. Jacksonville Shipyards'', ''Inc''., ''Saenz v. Roe'', ''Faragher v. Boca Raton,'' ''Wedow and Kline v. City of Kansas City, and Florida Abolitionist and Jane Doe v. Backpage.com et al.''. The Syms Legal Momentum Gender Equality Helpline is a free, national resource that provides information, assistance, and referrals for anyone facing gender discrimination. Each year, Legal Momentum fields hundreds of inquiries directing people to the appropriate resources and next steps for their individual circumstance and provides legal representation in a small number of potentially high-impact cases.

Legislation and Advocacy

Legal Momentum leads advocacy efforts on a range of policy solutions aimed at responding to and eradicating gender discrimination and achieving gender equality. Beginning in 1991, Legal Momentum worked closely with then-Senator Biden to draft and pass the ''Violence Against Women Act'' (VAWA), focused on domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking. Since 1994, VAWA has provided billions of dollars for victim services, education for justice system professionals and prevention programs aimed at ending gender-based violence. To pass VAWA, Legal Momentum organized the National Task Force on the Violence Against Women Act which has evolved into the large and diverse National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence. Legal Momentum is a leading member of this task force that focuses on strengthening VAWA through subsequent reauthorizations. Legal Momentum also authored the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, which protects those seeking reproductive health services from physical violence and intimidation at the clinic door. Beginning in 2017, Legal Momentum—observing a rapidly growing form of gender-based violence and a gap in laws across the country to address it—led advocacy leading to laws in 16 states and D.C. to close loopholes that allowed for technology-facilitated sextortion offenders to escape accountability.

Educational Initiatives

The ''National Judicial Education Program (NJEP''), founded in 1980, creates, presents and publishes a range of curricula and articles grounded in legal, social, and neuroscience research used to educate the judiciary about gender bias and how it can undermine fairness in our justice system. NJEP’s curricula include ''Understanding Sexual Violence: the Judicial Response to Stranger and Nonstranger Rape and Sexual Assault'', and a web course'', Intimate Partner Sexual Abuse: Adjudicating the Hidden Dimension of Domestic Violence Cases'', available free at www.njep-ipsacourse.org. Legal Momentum’s ''Rights Now''! peer education program works with youth, especially young women of color, by developing their knowledge and leadership on issues of gender-based violence and discrimination, and empowering them to carry that knowledge back into their communities to teach others. Legal Momentum’s ''Women Valued'' leads legislative advocacy and know-your-rights educational initiatives focused on safeguarding the rights of groups who have long been underserved by our laws, including women of color, immigrant women, victims of gender-based violence, and the disproportionate number of women relegated to low-wage work.

Name and brand identity

In 2004, the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund rebranded to Legal Momentum, a more succinct, mission-centric name that reflects the evolution and ongoing work of the organization.Nancy Schwartz
CASE STUDY: How a Nonprofit Name Change Generated Attention and Momentum
.

References

External links

Legal Momentum website

Records of the NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund, 1968-2008: A Finding Aid.Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
Records of Legal Momentum, 1978-2011: A Finding Aid.Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. {{authority control Legal advocacy organizations in the United States Women's political advocacy groups in the United States Feminist organizations in the United States National Organization for Women History of women's rights in the United States Non-profit organizations based in New York (state)