May 6, 2021

Owens v. Brown -- Women Can Now Serve at Sea

On Nov. 10, 1976, Petty Officer Yona Owens and six other women sued the Navy. The women were determined to overturn a 30-year-old federal statute that limited Navy women to shore-duty billets, even though they were trained to work aboard ships. Judge John J. Sirica heard the case April 11, 1978, and July 27, 1978, Judge Sirica ruled that women should be allowed to serve at sea.