Announcement
The 2024-25 Gilbert Goldstein Faculty Fellowship has been awarded to Jennifer Hendricks, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Juvenile and Family Law Program. Awarded by the Dean, the fellowship provides one semester without teaching responsibilities to enable concentration on research and writing.
Hendricks joined the Colorado Law faculty in 2012, teaching family law and civil procedure. She previously taught at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Her research interests include sex equality and sex differences, constitutional family law, equality in sports, and relational feminist theory. Hendricks’ book, Essentially a Mother, was published by the University of California Press in 2023.
Professor Hendricks studied mathematics and women’s studies at Swarthmore College and law at Harvard University. She then practiced plaintiffs’ trial and appellate litigation in Montana, where she specialized in constitutional, employment, and discrimination cases. In her practice, she successfully challenged illegal voter-redistricting and vote-counting, helped high school girls win equal sports opportunities, won access to government documents for reporters and private citizens, and defended against defamation claims. She also represented victims of harassment and discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation
Gilbert Goldstein ’42, for whom the fellowship is named, is remembered not only as a tremendously successful graduate of the law school, but also as a longtime, dedicated supporter of the greater Denver legal community. The MDC/Richmond American Homes Foundation established the Gilbert Goldstein Fund in recognition of his dedication and generosity. The fund awards scholarships and fellowships to deserving Colorado Law students and faculty.
“I am thrilled to announce that Professor Hendricks is this year’s Goldstein fellow!” said Dean Lolita Buckner Inniss, “Her research holds significant value not only within legal academia but also extends its impact far beyond. We look forward to seeing her proposed projects develop during her time as a Goldstein Fellow.”
Hendricks plans to devote her time to two projects as a Goldstein Fellow. The first delves into her interest in how individuals develop their own theories of “equality” when not constrained by legal theories and definitions. More specifically, this project will explore the social and collaborative construction of racial and gender equality in spaces where differences are salient and legal equality regimes are not salient. The extended working title for this project is “Title 9 ¾—Negotiating Equality Outside the Shadow of the Law in Alternative Sports.”
The second project is more theoretical and will explore the failure of any form of “eco-feminism” to take hold in legal theory. Hendricks research suggests that this failure is closely linked to the triumph of liberal feminism over relational feminism in the legal academy.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to delve into this research,” Hendricks said. “The sports project is one I’ve been hoping to get a chance to work on for years; it builds on my prior work about how equality law deals with biological variation. And a fellowship like this provides the opportunity to read deeply in new areas of law and related disciplines. I’m looking forward to having the time for intensive concentration, reflection, and writing.”
The University of Colorado Law School is grateful to have Hendricks’ scholarship and engagement as a part of our faculty and look forward to the continued impact her research will continue to have in the years to come. Congratulations, Professor Hendricks, on this incredible achievement!
