Female Graduate Remembers Nina Pillard, Lawyer Who Won Case Opening the Virginia Military Institute to Women

In 1996, the U.S. Supreme Court struck a blow for gender equality in higher education when it ruled that the Virginia Military Institute, a public university, must open its doors to female students. Today in The Hill, a newspaper that covers Congress, Elizabeth C. Doggins, a 2010 graduate of VMI, writes about what that decision has meant to her and praises the work of Georgetown law professor Nina Pillard, who argued the case before the high court. On Wednesday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a confirmation hearing on Pillard, who has been nominated by President Obama for one of three important vacancies on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

Doggins writes:

Professor Pillard’s work has helped bring our nation closer to the goal of full gender equality and has made a difference in my life and the lives of many others. And when the U.S. Senate holds a hearing on her nomination this Wednesday, I plan to be there in person to show my support.”

Read the full op-ed.