Janet Mary Riley: the Woman Who Redefined the Napoleonic Code by Sebastian Mac

Janet Mary Riley: The Woman Who Redefined the Napoleonic Code By Sebastian Mac

Presented by: Women’s Resource Center & NOLA4Women

Designed by: the Donnelley Center Janet Mary Riley Since 1808, Louisiana Civil Code established the Because of her expertise in marriage and husband as “lord-and-master” of both spouses’ property law in Louisiana, she served as chair of property, meaning that he had “the right to control, a subcommittee studying marriage and divorce laws manage, and alienate the community property and provided recommendations to the Louisiana State without his wife’s consent.” Janet Mary Riley, a legislature in 1973. Through that work, Riley and female attorney, fought to redefine archaic statutes her allies on the committee managed to include an in state law. Through such efforts, she advanced equal rights clause into the new state constitution. Soon feminism in the city of New Orleans and after, Riley took perpetual vows to the Society of Our across Louisiana. Lady of the Way, a secular institute for unmarried Born on September 20, 1915 in New Orleans, women, and remained an advocate of equal rights Louisiana, Riley stayed in her hometown throughout for women until her death at 92 years old in 2008. her childhood and most of her adulthood. She attended John McDonough High School and Ursuline College, the sister school of Loyola University of the South. She moved to Baton Rouge to study library science, and in 1945, she accepted a position as the librarian at Loyola, and in 1947, she started teaching legal bibliography. Encouraged by Dean Vernon Miller, she enrolled in Loyola’s law school part time and was one of the few female students. Despite the hostilities she confronted from some students, she graduated in 1951. Throughout her career, Riley worked to improve civil society. As soon as she was hired at the Loyola law library, she joined the Commission on Human Rights (CHR).As an interracial group of students and faculty from black and white Catholic schools in Southern Louisiana, the members “agitated for desegregation of archdiocesan events, organizations, and institutions.” Riley understood oppression. While pursuing a position as an attorney in the New Orleans area, employers told her repeatedly that they “do not interview women.” In 1955, Riley accepted a teaching position at Loyola University and became the first female full-time faculty member.