The potential appointment of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court has encouraged the investigation of women on the court. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg spoke to New York Times Magazine’s Emily Bazelon about what it means to be a woman on the Supreme Court. Bazelon discussed her article, “The Place of Women on the Court” with Joan Hamburg on The Joan Hamburg Show WOR 710HD.
Bazelon said she was “lucky and undeserving” to even have the chance to interview Justice Ginsburg. However, Bazelon saw the message she was trying to make about women. Justice Ginsburg showed up at the President’s first address to congress because she wanted to prove a point. “Ginsburg wanted to be photograph in her robes…I think she’s signaling to the country--here this is what we should be able to see in this year, at least one woman on the bench,” Bazelon said. She said Justice Ginsburg would like company on the bench from another woman, but as for the picture, “the visual image was important to her.”
The nomination of Judge Sotomayor was approved by Justice Ginsburg. “She wanted to make it clear that she strongly supports [Judge Sotomayor],” Bazelon said. Justice Ginsburg also spoke about her experience of being confirmed to the Supreme Court. “The hearing that she had when she was confirmed was civil,” Bazelon said. Therefore, she said Justice Ginsburg was signaling that Judge Sotomayor deserves the same consideration.
Continuing on the topic of Judge Sotomayor who describes herself as a product of affirmative action, Justice Ginsburg responded to Bazelon by saying, “’Clearly so am I’.”
Although Justice Ginsburg is proud of her identity, she “has a reputation of having a very warm relationship with her male colleagues,” Bazelon said. She also spoke fondly about the late Chief Justice Rehnquist during her interview with Bazelon.
Bazelon’s article will be featured in the Sunday, July 12th issue of The New York Time Magazine.
E-Mail Story
Print Story
