Katarzyna Cepek celebrating Sally Reed

Sally Reed

Statement by Katarzyna

Sally Reed was an ordinary woman whose perseverance had a significant impact on women’s rights in the US.

Sally and her husband, Cecil, divorced in 1958 and in 1967 their teenage son committed suicide. Both Sally and Cecil filed petitions to administer their son’s small estate worth less than $1000. The local judge automatically approved Cecil’s application because of an antiquated Idaho law, which stated that "the male must be preferred over the female" in cases where both parties are equally qualified.

Sally challenged the discriminatory law all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court with the help of her lawyer, Allen Derr, after 16 lawyers had turned her down. On November 22, 1971, Chief Justice Warren Burger in a unanimous decision declared a state law unconstitutional because it discriminated against women in violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment. The ruling, the first of its kind, set a precedent and helped overturn similar laws across the country.

Sally made a modest living caring for sick and disabled veterans in her own home. She never sought the spotlight and was probably unaware of the significance of her victory. She died in Boise in 2002 at the age of 93 and is buried at Cloverdale Memorial Park next to her son.