The Supreme Court of Ohio

The Supreme Court of Ohio

Columbus, OH

An organized archive and digital exhibition of the art located within the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center.

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“A Century of Women and the Law” by Nils Johnson Image: The left panel is a re-enactment of a 1912 suffragists demonstration, staged in front of the 1911 Mahoning County courthouse. The participants from left to right are Judge Carol A. Robb (7th District Court of Appeals), Judge Carla J. Baldwin (Youngstown Municipal Court), Sharon Roncone Velasquez, Judge Molly K. Johnson (Mahoning County Court - Canfield), Judge Cheryl L. Waite, (7th District Court of Appeals), Darla J. Penza, Prof. Katherine Garlick, Judge Theresa Dellick (Mahoning County Common Pleas - Juvenile Division) and Kathleen G. Johnson. The Youngstown State University¬ Theater Department provided the period costumes.
The left panel is a re-enactment of a 1912 suffragists demonstration, staged in front of the 1911 Mahoning County courthouse. The participants from left to right are Judge Carol A. Robb (7th District Court of Appeals), Judge Carla J. Baldwin (Youngstown Municipal Court), Sharon Roncone Velasquez, Judge Molly K. Johnson (Mahoning County Court - Canfield), Judge Cheryl L. Waite, (7th District Court of Appeals), Darla J. Penza, Prof. Katherine Garlick, Judge Theresa Dellick (Mahoning County Common Pleas - Juvenile Division) and Kathleen G. Johnson. The Youngstown State University¬ Theater Department provided the period costumes.
“A Century of Women and the Law” by Nils Johnson Image: The middle panel depicts the 1920 celebration in New York of the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment. On the left, Harriet Taylor Upton is shown in green waiving a flag. Harriet was treasurer of the National American Woman’s Suffrage Association and for a number of years her home in Warren, Ohio (now a national historic landmark) served as its national headquarters. In the bottom right corner Alice Paul toasts her troops. Alice was one of the principal leaders and strategists of the suffragists’ early 20th century drive for the vote. She organized the massive “Votes for Women” parade in Washington, D.C. the day before President Wilson was to be inaugurated in 1912. At that event were delegations from all 48 states—those of from the north were integrated, while those from the south were not. To control a crowd of half a million the police dispatched a mere 100 patrolmen. When the parade began the women were thronged and abused. The mounted militia had to be summoned so that things could continue. Alice also created the “Silent Sentinels,” women who day after day maintained a peaceful vigil in front of Wilson’s White House, carrying signs such as "Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?” Over 500 were arrested. Many were jailed, including Paul, who was placed in solitary confinement and force-fed. The policeman in the panel in the bottom left clasps his baton and is meant to recall this tension. Paul, a leader and strategist of the movement, is shown in the bottom right toasting the troops. Harriet Taylor Upton, Treasurer of the National American Woman Suffrage Association is shown in green waving a flag.
“A Century of Women and the Law” by Nils Johnson Image: The right panel reveals the result of women winning the vote. Shown are all of the thirteen women who have served on Ohio’s highest court, the first in 1922 being Florence Allen, (center, back row). Allen was also the first Supreme Court woman Justice elected in any state and it is said President Truman considered appointing her to the U.S. Supreme Court. Currently four of the seven Ohio Justices are women, including Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor (front row, center) —Ohio’s longest serving state-wide official.
“A Century of Women and the Law” by Nils Johnson

Videos

December 1, 2022 Mural Dedication Ceremony

Court’s New Mural Captures Women’s Impact

  • Nils Johnson
  • “A Century of Women and the Law”, 2022
  • Oil on canvas
  • 32 x 35 in

Collection: Murals x

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The mural illustrates the fight for women’s right to vote and recognizes the 13 women out of 162 total justices to serve on the Supreme Court of Ohio. (*as of 2022)

The story of the mural begins in 1912 with the portrayal of suffragists demonstrating in front of the Mahoning County courthouse. The second panel depicts the passage and ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. The last piece represents the women who have served as justices of Ohio’s high court. Among the 13 are Florence Allen – the first woman to serve on a state supreme court – and Chief Justice O’Connor, the first woman elected as chief justice and the longest-serving statewide elected woman in Ohio history.

  • Subject Matter: Mural Triptych
  • Current Location: Floor 4 - Ohio Judicial Conference Hall
  • Collections: Murals, Paintings

Other Work From The Supreme Court of Ohio

Pomona (Wisconsin) by Rudolph Scheffler
Manitou (Michigan) by Rudolph Scheffler
Hercules (Illinois) by Rudolph Scheffler
Flora (Indiana) by Rudolph Scheffler
Mercury (Ohio) by Rudolph Scheffler
Courtroom Panoramic Mural II by Rudolph Scheffler
Law Library Reading Room Murals by Daniel LeRoy MacMorris
The Progress of Industry Series by John F. Holmer
Courtroom Panoramic Mural I by Rudolph Scheffler
Twentieth Century Commerce in Ohio 1932 by Herman Henrey Wessel
See all artwork from The Supreme Court of Ohio