PRIME MINISTER EDITH CRESSON

EDITH CRESSON

By Irene Stuber

Edith Cresson (b. 01 27 1934), France's first woman prime minister, served from May 15, 1991, to April 2, 1992. A longtime socialist, she had previously held the ministerial posts of agriculture, tourism, foreign trade, and European affairs. She was major of two French cities. EC was noted for her outspoken personality and as premier defended France's economic interests and social equality. A European wide recession enabled President Mitterand to replace her with a man.

In 1971, ONLY 29 years ago, in _Reed v Reed_ the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously overturned a law that blatantly stated that men should be preferred over women for appointments as administrators of decedents' estates.

It was far reaching because it marked the first time the high court ever overturned a law in response to a *woman's* complaint of unfair sex based discrimination. The complaint was handled by Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who briefed and argued SIX precedent setting sex- based discriminations cases before the Supreme Court.

RBG was appointed to the U. S. Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton in 1993. Like Janet Reno whom Clinton appointed U.S. Attorney General, Ginsburg ranked extremely high in law school. Neither Reno nor Ginsburg were offered one single job after graduation in law firms.




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