Blog Post #28

Sonia Sotomayor was a judge for the Second Circuit Court of appeals, and came up against some harsh criticism when she was nominated for appointment to the United States Supreme Court. However, most of the criticism came from the media and was based on few facts, anonymous quotes, or misrepresented quotes from her colleagues. One quote from a fellow juror of hers on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals was misrepresented to show him saying she is stupid. The quote was, in fact, actually praising her intelligence. Most of these criticisms were based on gender and ethnic stereotypes. She has been referred to as stupid, vain, and temperamental. One person was quoted calling her, “dumb and obnoxious.” It was said that her questions in the courtroom do not ever penetrate into the heart of the issue. Someone complained that she is domineering in oral arguments. She has also been accused of just liking to hear herself talk. Another accusation is that she has an inflated opinion of herself. I am not saying this is true, but I may have an inflated opinion of myself too if I accomplished all that she did. However, her biggest criticism in on her “temperament.” Some one described her as being a “fiery Latina tempest waiting to knife and brutalize lawyers in the courtroom.” This means she is tough and a sharp interrogator. I am sure that no one would complain if a man acted this way. But apparently if she asks tough questions then she is difficult, temperamental, and excitable. Sotomayor is very well known for being aggressive on the bench, and some people label her as being “a bully on the bench.” She is no more aggressive than her male colleagues but because she is a woman, aggressiveness makes her mean, nasty, domineering, and bitchy. Unfortunately, her clear competence in the area is being looked over because people do not like her acting as aggressive as her male counterparts. People have a stereotype that they thought she would fit into, and when she didn’t, they reacted with hostility.