Women in the Supreme Court

The New York Times featured an interview with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, entitled The Place of Women On the Court, in which they discussed women and politics. Having been the only woman on the Supreme Court for the past three years, she is optimistic about the seemingly likely appointment of Sotomayor, and expressed extreme confidence in Sotomayor's ability. She even told the interviewer that Sotomayor would "hold her own" with the other Judges.

Ginsburg also tackled the idea of a change in the atmosphere on the bench if there was a higher presence of female judges, versus male judges, and how she thought Supreme Court rulings might differ depending on cases pertaining to women's rights. She touched upon future legality of Roe VS Wade, and many other famous court cases. I really encourage you to read the interview. She is obviously an incredibly brilliant woman, and has had many unique experiences serving on the Supreme Court.


Photo Courtesy of thewhitehouseproject on flickr

The Real Househusbands of DC

Just got back to DC after a few days in California with the fam. Apparently the District is aflutter over the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of DC.

I'd like to see Bravo produce The Real Househusbands of DC, just to shake things up. Bill Clinton and Georgetown professor Martin Ginsburg (husband of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg) seem like good candidates. Eligible bachelors Justice David Souter and President Obama's assistant Reggie Love would also have good screen presence.

The current Bravo series seems like a formulaic extension of the Jerry Springer Show catfights. Women tearing each other apart, rinse, repeat. So is there a market for programming about stay-at-home dads? Would David Souter and Martin Ginsburg be sufficiently confrontational at dinner parties? Who would you like to see on The Real Househusbands of DC?

Mix It Up: Souter's Departure from the Supreme Court

I absolutely love the Supreme Court. I have been in my glory this past week as every major news outlet has actually dedicated some coverage (when they weren't talking about Obama eating a burger across the street from FMF's office) to my favorite branch of government.

I am sorry to see David Souter leaving the Court. In his nineteen years on the bench, he has proven himself to be a remarkably intelligent, fair-minded judge. He wrote the decision upholding a woman's right to choose in Planned Parenthood v. Casey (1992) and he joined the majority in 2000's Stenberg v. Carhart, which struck down state laws against "partial birth abortion" (a decision that was sadly overturned in 2003). He has also upheld the constitutionality of important civil rights legislation, been an advocate for the separation of church and state, and defended the rights of GLBT individuals.

Ironically, when Souter was first nominated to the Supreme Court by George H.W. Bush, most progressive leaders and organizations (including FMF!) were passionately against his nomination. I am so glad that he proved them all wrong.

But while Justice Souter will be missed, President Obama now has an amazing opportunity to change the make up of our remarkably homogenous Supreme Court (8 in 9 white, 8 in 9 male, 9 in 9 alumni of the Federal Appeals Court). I am delighted that almost all of names being thrown around by the press are women--as we all know, my girl RBG is lonely out there (a future post on my immense admiration of and affection for Ginsburg coming soon). The lack of diversity among the justices is troubling and, as Christine Boyd and Lee Epstein recently wrote in a Washington Post op-ed, it affects the way the Court rules.

Here are a few of the subjects of the media's SCOTUS speculation:

Sonia Sotomayor serves on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She has a reputation of being a tough, outspoken judge who tends to rule against the government or big corporations. If appointed to the bench, she would the first Hispanic Supreme Court Justice.




Elena Kagan is the Solicitor General of the United States (the first woman to hold that position. Prior to her appointment, she was the dean of Harvard Law School. She has a wide range of legal experience, having served in the Clinton White House as a councilor and advisor, taught at the University of Chicago School of Law, and practiced privately.




Diane Wood is a federal judge serving on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. She was a faculty member at the University of Chicago School of Law at the same time as President Obama. She has consistently ruled to protect reproductive rights and the right to privacy.




Jennifer Granholm is the governor of Michigan. Born in Canada, she is a naturalized American citizen. President Obama has indicated that he values experience as an elected official, which could give Granholm a boost.





This is, of course, all speculation. There are countless potential candidates for the Supreme Court out there, and the president could surprise us all. My favorite suggestion so far? Melissa Harris Lacewell's endorsement of Kimberlee Crenshaw. She could really shake things up.