Legal Momentum, founded in 1970, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the nation's first and longest-serving legal advocacy group for women in the United States. Betty Friedan and Muriel Fox 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 Legal Defense and Education Fund, became Legal Momentum in 2004. Legal Momentum is a multi-issue organization dedicated to advancing women’s rights 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.
Major initiatives and involvement
Wins Sprogis v. United Air Lines, Inc. (marital status discrimination and sex discrimination), 1970. Establishes the Judicial Appointment Project and the National Judicial Education Program to increase the number of female federal judges and eliminate gender bias in the courts, 1978-88. The National Judicial Education Program continues to develop training materials and provide training for judges, prosecutors, and multidisciplinary audiences nationwide in order to improve the handling of sexual assault cases. Beginning in 1991, worked with the Senate Judiciary Committee to craft and pass the Violence Against Women Act, 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 constitutes sexual harassment), 1991 and 1995. Crafts the Violence Against Women Act, 1994, and its 2000, 2005, 2011, and 2013 reauthorizations. Authors and works to enact the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, 1994. Amicus curiae in United States v. Virginia involving the Virginia Military Institute's denial of admission to women, 1996. Founded Women's eNews 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 Violence Against Women Act, including before the U.S. Supreme Court, 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. Amicus curiae 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 as applied to welfare 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. Amicus curiae 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. Amicus curiae 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..