The pig farmer's daughter and other tales of American justice
Subtitle: episodes of racism and sexism in the courts from 1865 to the present
By: Mary Frances Berry.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: Knopf
Published: 1999
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 295
Subjects: African Americans -- Legal status, laws, etc.; Sex crimes -- United States.; Discrimination in criminal justice administration -- United States.
Description: From the head of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission and noted professor of law and history at the University of Pennsylvania, a book that examines both civil and criminal court cases from the Civil War to the present, to reveal the impact of stereotypingrace, class, gender - on the American legal system.

The question Mary Frances Berry asks: Whose story most strongly influences the making of legal decisions in the American justice system?

Using previously unexamined material from state appellate civil and criminal court cases - cases of rape, seduction, and paternity disputes, and cases dealing with murder, inheritance, and property disputes in which sexual relations are at the heart of the story - Berry takes us through two centuries of American case law to show how attitudes toward gender, race, class, and sexuality have materially affected, and continue to affect, judicial decision-making.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [245]-281) and index.