Priscilla J. Smith is an American

attorney Attorney may refer to: * Lawyer ** Attorney at law, in some jurisdictions * Attorney, one who has power of attorney * ''The Attorney'', a 2013 South Korean film See also * Attorney general, the principal legal officer of (or advisor to) a gove ...

and professor, notable for her advocacy for reproductive rights in the United States. She is currently employed as a Clinical Lecturer and Program Director for the Study of Reproductive Justice at The Yale Law School. She previously served as an attorney and U.S. Legal Program Director at the Center For Reproductive Law & Policy.

Notable Work

Smith gained fame for her role in the landmark

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

case '' Gonzales v. Carhart''. She argued on behalf of abortion provider LeRoy Carhart to challenge the constitutionality of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, a federal law banning the practice of intact dilation and extraction. The Supreme Court, in the majority opinion authored by Justice Anthony Kennedy, upheld the law and ruled against Carhart. She also argued in ''

Ferguson v. City of Charleston ''Ferguson v. City of Charleston'', 532 U.S. 67 (2001), is a United States Supreme Court decision that found Medical University of South Carolina's policy regarding involuntary drug testing of pregnant women to violate the Fourth Amendment. The C ...

'' against nonconsensual drug testing for obstetrics patients at Medical University of South Carolina''.'' The women who were tested positive were often arrested and imprisoned on

child abuse Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical, sexual, and/or psychological maltreatment or neglect of a child or children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse may include any act or failure to a ...

charges. The Supreme Court ruled that the forced drug tests were unconstitutional and a violation of the Fourteenth Amendment. In 2017, Smith testified before the United States House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice, arguing against the constitutionality of the Heartbeat Protection Act.

Education

Smith received her J.D. from Yale Law School in 1991 and her B.A. from Yale College in 1984.

References

External links

Oyez.org profile
American lawyers American abortion-rights activists Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Yale College alumni Yale Law School alumni {{abortion-stub