Margolin, Bessie, 1909-1996

Bessie Margolin was a U.S. Department of Labor attorney from 1939 until 1972, arguing numerous cases before the Supreme Court. She graduated from Yale Law School. In 1939, Margolin joined the Department of Labor. She became an expert on the Fair Labor Standards Act and was eventually promoted to Assistant Solicitor in charge of Supreme Court appellate litigation. In this role, and in her later role as Associate Solicitor, Margolin argued 27 cases before the Supreme Court. Following World War II, Margolin was temporarily assigned to the War Department at the Nuremberg trials. In this role, she drafted the original regulation under which the tribunals were constituted. In 1966 Margolin became a co-founder of the National Organization for Women.