The Great Jury Debate: When Washington Women Fought for the Bench

The recent rulings have cast doubt on the rights of women in our Territory. Under the code of 1881, the right of suffrage was conferred only upon males, and only male electors were competent jurors. This was the condition until Nov. 18, 1883, when the Legislative assembly of our Territory passed an act to amend the code. By this amendment, the word 'male' was stricken, and under its provisions, the women deposited their ballots and took their seats in the jury box. Now, Judge Longford has decided that the act was technically flawed and that women's participation was legally void. If the Justice's decision is correct, our judges have mistaken the law in permitting women to sit as jurors, and our Supreme Court erred in holding that they are even exercising the right to vote. I have no doubt as to the validity of the laws, and am satisfied that our women may lawfully vote and act as jurors in the future as in the past, but the judges rather than the citizens must decide these questions.