Sarah Catherine Ragle Weddington (February 5, 1945 – December 26, 2021) was an American attorney, law professor, advocate for women's rights and reproductive health, and member of the Texas House of Representatives. She was best known for representing "Jane Roe" (real name Norma McCorvey) in the landmark Roe v. Wade case before the United States Supreme Court.[1][2][3] She also was the first woman General Counsel for the US Department of Agriculture.
In March 1970, Weddington and her co-counsel filed suit against Henry Wade, the Dallas district attorney and the person responsible for enforcing the anti-abortion statute.[15] McCorvey became the landmark plaintiff and was referred in the legal documents as "Jane Roe" to protect her identity.[16]
In May 1970, Weddington first stated her case in front of a three-judge district court in Dallas.[17] The district court agreed that the Texas abortion laws were unconstitutional, but the state appealed the decision, landing it before the United States Supreme Court.[17] In 1971 and again in the fall of 1972, Weddington appeared before the Supreme Court .[18] At the time of her first Supreme Court presentation, Weddington was 26 years old and had never tried a legal case.[3] Her argument was based on the 1st, 4th, 5th, 8th, 9th, and 14th amendments, as well as the Court's previous decision in Griswold v. Connecticut, which legalized the sale of contraceptives based on the right of privacy.[19] In January 1973, the Court's decision was ultimately handed down, overturning Texas’ abortion law by a 7-2 majority and legalizing abortion throughout the United States.[20]
