Legal luminaries honor 19th Amendment centennial with special cookbook

U.S. Supreme Court justices and other legal luminaries have contributed recipes to a new cookbook from the American Bar Association marking this month’s centennial of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote. The cookbook is modeled after similar cookbooks published a century ago by suffragists to gain support for the movement.

The digital “Nineteenth Amendment Centennial Cookbook: 100 Recipes for 100 Years” features recipes for dishes from five Supreme Court justices, including a handwritten recipe for “Spinach Squares” from Sandra Day O’Connor, plus “Mama’s Corn Pudding” from Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson; “Pizza with Pesto and Sweet Corn” from international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney; and “David’s Apple Squash Soup” from National Public Radio legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg, among others.

The cookbook is available for free and can be viewed and downloaded at www.19thAmendmentCookbook.com.

“Suffragists used recipes to advance their cause, believing that ‘good cooking and sure voting went hand in hand,’ “ said Judge M. Margaret McKeown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and chair of the ABA Commission on the 19th Amendment.

When the 1918 pandemic threatened to derail their cause, they overcame obstacles and went on to successful ratification in 1920. In much the same way, COVID-19 has changed the way we connect with family, friends and communities. Many in the legal arena have found themselves at home, sharing food with their loved ones. They have been generous in sharing their recipes with us,” McKeown said.

“This cookbook, for which I was happy to contribute a recipe, harkens back to the suffragists of 100 years ago and beyond,” ABA President Patricia Lee Refo said.

“Publishing recipe books was one of their ways to spread the word, raise funds and educate the public about women’s right to vote. This cookbook and the centennial remind us that the struggle to ensure voting rights for all Americans continues and that our voting rights should never be taken for granted.”

The cookbook is part of the ABA’s year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.

In February, McKeown and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg discussed the amendment’s implications at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C, and last October, the Harvard Kennedy School hosted a panel discussion on women’s political power from the 19th Amendment to 2020.

 Other initiatives include a traveling exhibit called “100 Years After the 19th Amendment: Their Legacy, and Our Future” curated by the Library of Congress; digital tool kits to help support public and student programming; free streaming videos that can be used for commemoration events and programs; links to other organizations planning commemoration activities; state anniversary dates; interesting facts about the 19th Amendment and the battle for full suffrage; and a gallery of 19th Amendment images and photos.