Michele Goodwin

Michele Goodwin is the Linda D. & Timothy J. O'Neill Professor of Constitutional Law and Global Health Policy at Georgetown University and the president of the Law and Society Association. She is the author of the award-winning book, Policing The Womb: Invisible Women and the Criminalization of Motherhood.

President Donald Trump during an executive order signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2025.

Trump Doesn’t Have the Authority. What Happens When He Does It Anyway? Trump Doesn’t Have the Authority. What Happens When He Does It Anyway?

The American experiment depends on institutional checks on power’s exercise. If there are no checks, then these indeed will be devastating times.

Feb 11, 2025 / Michele Goodwin and Gregory Shaffer

The US Armed Forces recruiting station in Times Square.

Trump’s Transgender Military Ban Doesn’t Make Sense. It Didn’t the First Time Either. Trump’s Transgender Military Ban Doesn’t Make Sense. It Didn’t the First Time Either.

The ban will only serve to create chaos and risk the health and safety of Americans.

Jan 31, 2025 / Michele Goodwin

Brittany Watts, dressed in a warm pink coat and white gloves and a hat, speaking outside at a microphone.

What About Our Right to Life? What About Our Right to Life?

As we’re seeing now in tragic cases, abortion bans violate much more than just privacy rights.

Jan 22, 2024 / Michele Goodwin

Having More Women on the Federal Courts Is Long Overdue

Having More Women on the Federal Courts Is Long Overdue Having More Women on the Federal Courts Is Long Overdue

In a well-functioning democracy, representation matters not only in the legislative and executive branches of government but also in the courts.

Feb 1, 2023 / Michele Goodwin

Wit, Grit, and Grace: The Remarkable Confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson

Wit, Grit, and Grace: The Remarkable Confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson Wit, Grit, and Grace: The Remarkable Confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation moves us closer to building a better and more credible Supreme Court.

Apr 11, 2022 / Michele Goodwin

An anti-abortion demonstrator clutches prayer beads and prays with other protesters in front of the EMW Womens Surgical Center on May 8, 2021, in Louisville, Ky.

The Overlooked Strategies of the Anti-Abortion Movement The Overlooked Strategies of the Anti-Abortion Movement

The movement and its ideological predecessors have spent centuries honing reproductive control tactics, from forced pregnancy to sterilization to criminalization.

Mar 11, 2022 / Michele Goodwin

As the Supreme Court Weighs the Future of Abortion, Women Are Already Suffering

As the Supreme Court Weighs the Future of Abortion, Women Are Already Suffering As the Supreme Court Weighs the Future of Abortion, Women Are Already Suffering

Attacks on reproductive rights have metastasized well beyond abortion in recent years, endangering women’s health and lives.

Nov 12, 2021 / Michele Goodwin

The Long Shadow of Anita Hill’s Testimony

The Long Shadow of Anita Hill’s Testimony The Long Shadow of Anita Hill’s Testimony

Three decades after Anita Hill brought sexual harassment allegations against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, Black women are still waiting for justice.

Oct 11, 2021 / Michele Goodwin

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