Constitutional Law
Apr. 19, 2024
Opening Major League Baseball clubhouses to women reporters
In Ludtke v. Kuhn, Melissa Ludtke claimed that banning her from the clubhouse violated her right to equal protection and her liberty interest in pursuing her profession, under the Fourteenth Amendment and 42 U.S.C. section 1983. The case relied on a Supreme Court ruling that a private restaurant in a public building could not discriminate against customers based on race.
It was Oct. 18, 1977. I was a new associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York. The Yankees were playing the Dodgers in game six of the World Series at Yankee Stadium. A legal battle was brewing over access to the team clubhouses for post-game player interviews.
Sports Illustrated had assigned reporter Melissa Ludtke to help baseball writer Ron Fimrite cover the 1977 World Series. She had assumed that she would have access to the c...