Christina Mortensen Attorney at Law

Robert Reich says it well...

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10154079811180395&id=305801855394

Another reason to love Hawaii! http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_576c94b3e4b0dbb1bbba1e39

Had the privilege of meeting some Heroes!

A quick update for friends - I've been working with California Lawyers for the Arts' Modest Means Incubator Program, currently focused on Copyright and Trademark law... Along with some personal reading on Second Amendment issues. Thank you for checking out the page!

When Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was asked what amendment she would most like to see added to the U.S. Constitution, she replied that she would ch...oose "the Equal Rights Amendment," noting that when her granddaughters read the Constitution, she would like them to see "that that is a basic principle of our society." Although more than 80% of countries guarantee gender equality in their constitutions, including, as Ginsburg noted "every constitution written since the Second World War" -- the period during which most of the world's constitutions were written -- the world's oldest written constitution does not include this protection. In effect since 1789, the U.S. Constitution was written during a period when gender equality was far from being an important societal value. Over time, the US has passed many laws protecting women's rights but, as Ginsburg observes, "Legislation can be repealed. It can be altered... That principle belongs in our Constitution." The U.S. Constitution is exceedingly difficult to amend, however the ERA was nearly added to the Constitution forty years ago. The Amendment, which was originally drafted by suffragist Alice Paul in 1923, was approved by both houses of Congress and endorsed by then President Richard Nixon in 1972. It then went to the states for approval, but ultimately only received 35 of the 38 state ratifications needed to become a Constitutional Amendment. Today, there is renewed interested in an Equal Rights Amendment, which, according to Ginsburg, would recognize that "women are people equal in stature before the law." Many older women's rights activists observe that young people are often shocked to learn that the Constitution does not guarantee equal rights for women; in fact, one survey found that 72% of adults incorrectly believed that the Constitution included such a gender equality guarantee. Whether Justice Ginsburg will see the passage of the ERA in her lifetime is uncertain but she says it's an essential part of ensuring women's equal protection, observing that a "prime part of the history of our Constitution is the story of the extension of constitutional rights to people once ignored or excluded." To learn more about the ERA and why it's still relevant today, check out the new book "Equal Means Equal: Why the Time for an Equal Rights Amendment Is Now" (http://amzn.to/1NyYrxY) -- and the accompanying documentary, Equal Means Equal, at http://equalmeansequal.com/ For a fantastic book about Justice Ginsburg's life and impact, we highly recommend "Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg" at http://amzn.to/1NyXYfl For those interested in the impact of female justices on the Supreme Court, another recent release explores both the impact of Ginsburg and Sandra Day O'Connor: "Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World" at http://amzn.to/20rxNR0 For books for children about trailblazing female political leaders in the U.S. -- both historically and in modern times, visit our blog post, Remember the Ladies: A President’s Day Tribute to Women in Politics at http://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=11162 And, to inspire the Mighty Girls in your life with the true stories the pioneering women who have stood up for the rights of girls and women around the world, visit our "Role Models" biography section at http://www.amightygirl.com/books/history-biography/biography

If you are an artist, short on cash, and facing a pressing legal situation -- say, hypothetically, a Copyright Infringement lawsuit -- the California Lawyers fo...r the is an excellent place to go for help. Hoping things blow over is rarely a good idea when big lawsuits are involved. If you aren't an artist facing a pressing legal situation -- say, hypothetically, a Copyright Infringement lawsuit -- but you know someone who is, this is still a great referral to send your friend's way.