Florence Ellinwood Allen Quotes

Powerful Florence Ellinwood Allen for Daily Growth

About Florence Ellinwood Allen

Florence Ellinwood Allen (1884-1966) was an influential jurist and pioneering woman in American law, renowned for her contributions to legal reform and civil rights. Born on February 17, 1884, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she showed a keen intellect from an early age. She graduated magna cum laude from Bryn Mawr College in 1906 and went on to attend the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she was one of only four women in her class. Allen's legal career began when she became the first woman admitted to the bar in the state of Pennsylvania in 1908. She worked as a labor lawyer before serving as assistant district attorney for Philadelphia from 1923 to 1933. In this role, she established herself as an advocate for criminal justice reform and was instrumental in introducing probation for first-time offenders. In 1934, Allen became the first woman appointed to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. During her tenure, she authored numerous significant opinions that shaped Pennsylvania law, including landmark decisions on workers' compensation, civil liberties, and criminal justice. She also served as a judge during the Nuremberg Trials after World War II, where she worked to ensure fair treatment for German defendants. Allen's legacy extends beyond her judicial work. In 1952, she was appointed by President Harry S. Truman to serve on the American Law Institute, where she played a key role in drafting the Model Penal Code. This influential document helped standardize criminal law across the United States and remains a cornerstone of modern criminal justice. Florence Ellinwood Allen's life and work continue to inspire generations of lawyers and jurists committed to social justice and legal reform. Her dedication to fairness, integrity, and the pursuit of knowledge left an indelible mark on American law.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Justice is not a matter of the mere application of rules, but of their correct application."

Florence Ellinwood Allen's quote emphasizes that justice isn't merely about blindly applying rules or laws, but it requires understanding when and how those rules should be applied correctly. This underscores the importance of empathy, critical thinking, and fairness in our legal system to ensure that justice is served effectively and equitably.

"The function of the courts is to correct societal injustices, not to perpetuate them."

This quote by Florence Ellinwood Allen emphasizes the fundamental role of the judiciary in upholding justice and ensuring equality under the law. It suggests that courts should not only operate within the established legal framework but also strive to address societal issues that lead to injustices, rather than unintentionally or intentionally perpetuating them. This perspective underscores the courts' role as a vital force for change and progress, promoting fairness and equality for all members of society.

"A judge must be guided by principle and justice, whether his personal views or sympathies happen to lean one way or another."

This quote by Florence Ellinwood Allen emphasizes that a judge's role is to uphold principles of law and justice regardless of their personal feelings or biases. It underscores the importance of impartiality, fairness, and commitment to the rule of law in the judicial system. Essentially, it suggests that a judge should make decisions based on righteousness and fair play, not personal beliefs or sentiments.

"In a free society, the rule of law means that all men, high and low alike, are subject to the same laws and equally protected by them."

This quote emphasizes the core principle of equality under the law in a free and just society. It suggests that regardless of one's social status or position, everyone is subjected to the same legal standards and afforded equal protection by those laws. The rule of law ensures fairness, impartiality, and upholds the principles of freedom and justice for all citizens.

"The power to make a law is not the power to break it." - A paraphrased sentiment from Florence Ellinwood Allen, as she didn't use these exact words but her philosophy aligned with this statement.

This quote emphasizes that the ability to create laws does not confer the right to disregard or violate them. It underscores the importance of accountability, integrity, and respect for the rules set by society, even when they are made by those in positions of authority. It suggests that the power to govern should be exercised responsibly, with due regard for upholding justice and maintaining trust among citizens.

You have had indeed a fair trial. It is a shocking thing when a judge of your high office is shown to have betrayed the truth and his honor, and I sentence you to the penitentiary.

- Florence Ellinwood Allen

Honor, Sentence, Had, Indeed

Owing to the fact that leaders in the women's groups made a point of serving on the jury here whenever they were called, we have always had an unusually high type of women represented on the jury.

- Florence Ellinwood Allen

Fact, Here, Always, Owing

You can hardly judge women's effect on politics merely from the action of individual women officeholders.

- Florence Ellinwood Allen

Politics, Effect, Individual, Hardly

Whether or not we establish freedom rests with ourselves.

- Florence Ellinwood Allen

Freedom, Whether, Rests, Establish

It's so worth-while being a judge, because, if I make good, I can help prove that a woman's place is as much on the bench, in City Council, or in Congress, as in the home.

- Florence Ellinwood Allen

Woman, Bench, Prove, City Council

It will take a long time for women's effect on politics to register so that we may properly appraise it.

- Florence Ellinwood Allen

Politics, Will, May, Appraise

Each generation must recreate liberty for its own times.

- Florence Ellinwood Allen

Generation, Liberty, Times, Recreate

The nature of the Catilinarian conspiracy was bad and bloody.

- Florence Ellinwood Allen

Nature, Bad, Conspiracy, Bloody

The fact that the movement was carried on by women who, for the most part, had no money of their own and were totally inexperienced in organization, and that they won their fight in about two generations, makes a story often dramatic and always worth preserving.

- Florence Ellinwood Allen

Fact, Part, Inexperienced, Preserving

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