Genevieve Blatt and the Commonwealth Court
Changing Pennsylvania politics for the better
In 1972, Genevieve Blatt made history when she was appointed to Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court in Harrisburg, where she would go on to issue landmark rulings advancing women's rights, including a pivotal decision requiring equal access to sports programs for female athletes.
Genevieve Blatt made history in 1972 as the first woman appointed to Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court. One of Blatt's most significant rulings concerned the enforcement of Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education. Title IX states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Blatt ruled that the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association must provide women access to sports programs and ruled that they could no longer discriminate based on sex.
Learn more in Breaking the Glass Ceiling: How Genevieve Blatt Changed Pennsylvanian Politics Forever.
A full list of resources used in this story can be found here.
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