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On Scalia and Naming His Replacement | 97 comments (97 topical)

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What percentage of lawyers (none / 0) (#68)
by Peter G on Tue Feb 16, 2016 at 04:03:37 PM EST
between the ages of 45 and 54 are women? More than 33% (3/9)? Isn't that the relevant comparison? (I am assuming here that the percentage of well-qualified women within that group is the same as the percentage of well-qualified men, so it's not necessary to add that factor.)

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assumption? (5.00 / 2) (#86)
by womanwarrior on Tue Feb 16, 2016 at 10:50:45 PM EST
Ha, baseless.  Many would beg to differ that the same percentage of women as men is well-qualified.  Remember the Charlotte Whitton quote, often attributed to Golda Meir:  "For a woman to get half as much credit as a man, she has to work twice as hard, and be twice as smart. Fortunately, that isn't difficult."

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Ahhh... (none / 0) (#69)
by jbindc on Tue Feb 16, 2016 at 04:06:54 PM EST
but technically, one doesn't have to be a lawyer to sit on the Supreme Court, so you could compare demographics against the whole population.  (Yes, yes, I know, impossible nowadays, but technically)

:)

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Neither do you have to be between (none / 0) (#71)
by Peter G on Tue Feb 16, 2016 at 04:17:21 PM EST
45 and 54 years old, jb. I was actually attempting a serious answer about the demographic this is actually being considered.

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lol. I should have known you didn't pull that (none / 0) (#73)
by Mr Natural on Tue Feb 16, 2016 at 04:45:45 PM EST
(33%) out of thin air.  The 2013 ABA report on Women in the Law.

Just a bit of cognitive dissonance confronting those who advocate male replacement Justices so that the next affirmative action case falls their way.

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I actually had no idea that the percentage (none / 0) (#75)
by Peter G on Tue Feb 16, 2016 at 05:36:05 PM EST
of women lawyers nationally was now 33%. I was referring to the fact that there are presently 3 women on the Supreme Court (hence, my "3/9"). I was wondering whether that was proportional to the number of legitimately available candidates. Obviously, men have been grossly over-represented on the Supreme Court for most of its existence, as have been whites; I would have no problem with women being somewhat "over-represented" as a result of the next appointment, if that happens. And speaking of over-represented, so are Jews and Catholics presently (even with the loss of one Catholic). And Harvard and Yale grads. And New Yorkers. And Northerners.

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The "Notorious RBG" speaks (5.00 / 1) (#96)
by Mr Natural on Thu Feb 18, 2016 at 04:12:28 AM EST
"So now the perception is, yes, women are here to stay. And when I'm sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the supreme court]? And I say when there are nine, people are shocked. But there'd been nine men, and nobody's ever raised a question about that."

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It would be nice (none / 0) (#76)
by jbindc on Tue Feb 16, 2016 at 06:03:02 PM EST
To see someone from say, the Midwest, who went to U of M law school,  or the University of Texas law school, or pretty much any law school other than Yale, Harvard, or Stanford - people who didn6t run in the same circles or have the da5me professors.  Diversity of thought, and such.

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On Scalia and Naming His Replacement | 97 comments (97 topical)

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