More Women for The Supreme Court

[Captain_Nemo]

More Women for The Supreme Court
February 10, 2009




http://www.postwritersgroup.com/archives/cocc090210.htm

"WASHINGTON -- Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's renewed struggle with cancer is both a demonstration of courage and a dismaying reminder that she represents a quota of one.

Ginsburg, who has pancreatic cancer, says she intends to resume her duties on the high court before the end of February, a quick return after surgery and harrowing treatment for a disease that is difficult to overcome. That is the courageous part.

The cheerless truth is that Ginsburg's ill health brings to mind her unique position. She is the only female justice, and has been since Sandra Day O'Connor left the court in 2006.

Certainly if Ginsburg's health fails and she is forced to retire, President Barack Obama would be under intense pressure to appoint another woman to fill her slot. With women voters providing Obama's margin of victory in last year's election, there is little doubt that he would do so.

But what then? Would a second vacancy automatically go to a man?

That is how it usually works. This use of women as tokens must now be reversed.

Justice Clarence Thomas is the sole African-American sitting on the high court, and the only member of any racial minority group. All ethnic groups legitimately aspire to greater representation. But why set up a zero-sum game in which the advancement of one means the other must wait?

Women -- of all ethnic backgrounds -- are not a minority. We are a majority of the population and a majority of the electorate. Women earn about half the law degrees awarded each year, and comprise well over half of those earning bachelor's and master's degrees. Still, we are treated as a cranky interest group to be placated, and rarely given our rightful place in leadership."

[Captain Hilts]

1. The Post should talk. 14% of their op-eds are written by women. nt

[Captain_Nemo]

4. Marie Cocco is on e of the few feminist columnists who talks about facts of our underrepresentation

Women are in the majority of this country and we are underrepresented:

Congress - 17% are women
Governors - 8 out of 50 are women
SC - 1 woman out of nine justices.

We are in the majority of the country.

I am a woman and I have a big problem with this.

[Captain Hilts]

5. I like Marie Coco, and it was great when she'd be on Leherer.

She rarely gets in the WP.

I, too, have a Big Problem with this. Most folks here do not.

Didn't you just love all the folks here saying that Obama winning the presidency was proof that anyone can be president?

[Captain_Nemo]

6. Clearly a woman cannot win the presidency.

[karynnj]

21. I don't think that's true

HRC came very very close, in spite of responding badly when she was criticized for one answer in the first Philly debate. Had she just explained that the issue did not lend itself to 1 to 2 minute responses - then stating a position - she would have been better off than whining it was the "guys against the girl" when it was everyone against the frontrunner and having Bill Clinton bring up the idea that it could be swiftboating. Between this and attacking Obama as she did, she destroyed for some the perception that she was the gracious, very accomplished, inevitable candidate. That was one of her best assets and they threw it away.

In addition, her strategy was flawed - spending no money or resources on the SuperTuesday caucus states. (I bet even if they had just assigned the internet team (and she had a pretty big one) to co-ordinate and encourage the people in those states to show up -- with friends, they would have held down Obama's numbers there.

Now, no campaign will have a perfect candidate or the perfect strategy. I also think she was hurt by it being a change election - and she was not a new face. It also hurt that Iraq, where she was badly positioned as one of the last Democrats to get behind setting a firm timeline or deadline to get out, was the big issue.

[BrklynLiberal]

2. An excellent concept. Why hasn't anyone ever thought of that before??

:eyes:

[Muttocracy]

3. "Would a second vacancy automatically go to a man?" - huh? why?

:shrug:

[OmahaBlueDog]

7. If I had my way, every Obama SCOTUS pick would be a woman

...preferably from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Females need to eventually make up 4-5 of the justices.

[Captain_Nemo]

8. Since we are 51% of population, how about 5 out of 4?

In all fairness and honesty, all the next nominees should be female to even our paying ground.

Abortion has been a big issue for the Court - and we only have one woman on the court.

[OmahaBlueDog]

11. I think you mean 5/9

Honestly, I think 4 would shame the rest into being reasonable on the issue, but a majority would be fine by me.

[Captain_Nemo]

18. yes 5 out of 9.....

[CTyankee]

25. 5 out of 4, are you crazy? We can't have a bunch of women on the Supreme Court

fer crissakes!

Heart attacks among the fundies would be reason enough not to do that!

On second thought: hmmm, let's think about things that would be different if women were in charge of the Court...abortion, children's welfare, sex discrimination prosecution, hmmm...

[Captain Hilts]

9. I'm not comfortable with that. It's seems like a quota system.

And, it's best to refer to adult humans as 'women' rather than 'females' because 'females' is not exclusive to humans.

[Captain_Nemo]

10. Well, affirmative action was quite successful in bringing African Americans in to the workforce.

I think we have to look at the problems that gender disparity causes a nation.

I believe in evening the playing field so all people can reach to their highest potential.

[OmahaBlueDog]

13. Unfortunately, it's become a numbers game.

The court is overwhelmingly male and overwhelmingly white in a nation which is neither.

[MrSlayer]

12. I want the best possible person in there regardless of gender.

If the next best qualified person is a woman then she should get it. If it's a man then he should get it. I don't care what gender they are as long as they are the most qualified for the job. Having one specific set of genitals should not be the determining factor.

[Lyric]

19. The problem is that there are plenty of qualified people

many of whom are equally qualified. In that case, I think that women should be given some preference, as we are currently BADLY under-represented, and one of OUR most basic human rights is at stake within that court on an alarmingly regular basis.

[Captain_Nemo]

20. Because around the world (according to UN report from August 2008) gender parity in government

gender parity in government makes women's lives better. Women bring different things to the table.
From that report "Who Answers to Women"

" A large-scale
survey of members of parliament undertaken
by the Inter-Parliamentary Union recently
found that over 90 per cent of respondents
agreed that women bring different views,
perspectives and talents to politics, and an
equally large percentage of male and female
respondents believed that “women give pri-
ority to those issues believed to be women’s
issues.”28 In the words of one member of par-
liament, “It’s the women in politics who put
women’s rights and violence against women
and children on the political agenda.”

http://www.unifem.org/progress/2008/media/POWW08_Report_Full_Text.pdf

[camera obscura]

14. Just look at Obama's cabinet, I think diversity is the last thing we have to worry about.

[Captain_Nemo]

17. But, out of 21 Cabinet posts there are only 5 confirmed women.....where's the diversity?

Cabinet Posts
Men
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack
Secretary of Commerce Locke (not confirmed)
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan
Secretary of Energy Steven Chu
Secretary of Housing & Urban Development Shaun Donovan
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Attorney General Eric Holder
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood
Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki



Women
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano
Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis
Secretary of Health & Human Services Sebillus (not confirmed)
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Cabinet-level posts

Men
Vice President of the United States Joe Biden
White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel
Director, Office of Management & BudgetPeter Orszag
U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk

Women

Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency Lisa Jackson
U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice

[Hekate]

15. Ah,of all the women who should've been in the pool, Barbara Jordan still tops my list after 35 years

Even so, by this time the pool of candidates is very large indeed, and deep. I see no reason why any and all SCOTUS vacancies that occur during the Obama presidency could not be filled by women in a rainbow of colors.

Hekate

http://watergate.info/impeachment/74-07-25_barbara-jordan.shtml
"A President Is Impeachable If He Attempts To Subvert The Constitution"
July 25, 1974
This is the speech given by Representative Barbara Jordan (Democrat-Texas) reminding her colleagues on the House Judiciary Committee of the Constitutional basis for impeachment. The Committee met in Washington, D.C.
(video clip)

[Captain Hilts]

23. Barb rocked. nt

[LiberalFighter]

16. Anita Hill

Clarence Thomas -> :spank: <-Anita Hill

[noonwitch]

22. Sandra Day O'Connor was a great guest on The Daily Show the other night

She was pretty funny, and Jon gave her the respect she deserves by giving her two whole segments of the show.

[Captain Hilts]

24. I'm glad to hear that. nt

[Eryemil]

26. Insofar as females are more likely to hold liberal views, I agree n|t