TresSugar

How Has Being a Woman Impacted Your Job?

TresSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:00:00 -0700

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the subject of an extensive New York Times Magazine profile this week in which she discusses "the place of women on the court." At her confirmation hearings in 1993, Ginsburg said she hoped to see at least three or four women seated on the court after her. As she still waits for even one woman to join her, Ginsburg has noticed that she is judged differently than her male counterparts. She recounts one example:

"Once Justice O’Connor was questioning counsel at oral argument. I thought she was done, so I asked a question, and Sandra said: 'Just a minute, I’m not finished.' So I apologized to her and she said, 'It’s OK, Ruth.' The guys do it to each other all the time, they step on each other’s questions. And then there appeared an item in USA Today, and the headline was something like 'Rude Ruth Interrupts Sandra.'"

By simply interrupting a fellow woman Ginsburg was soon portrayed as rude or aggressive, while the same assertive characteristic in a man goes unnoticed. The justice's little anecdote reminds us that sometimes women face different standards in the workplace. Have you ever come across this?

Justice Ginsburg Plans Speedy Return to Supreme Court

LibertySugar — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:00:08 -0800

Ever since Justice Sandra Day O'Connor retired from the Supreme Court in 2006, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been holding it down for the ladies all by herself. And she wants to keep doing that, despite her recent diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg, 75, plans on being in court for oral arguments on Feb. 23.

When Justice Ginsburg successfully battled colon cancer in 1999, she said work was "the best balm." It must have been, because she didn't miss a day.

Now, the justice, appointed by President Clinton, will seek the same treatment following her surgery last week. We wish her a speedy recovery.

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Who Is Your Favorite Woman in Power?

LibertySugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:30:33 -0800

Even though there hasn't been a female US president, the country's women in power remind us that leadership isn't just a man's job. Hillary Clinton took on many roles this year: she was a senator from New York, the wannabe leader of the US, the reluctant leader of the PUMAs, and now know she will most likely be the leader of the US State Department. Current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the first African-American woman to serve in the post, traveled around the world signing missile deals with Poland, trying to keep tensions down between India and Pakistan, and playing the piano for the Queen of England.

Nancy Pelosi had a good time at the Democratic National Convention before heading back to Washington for a Fall full of bailouts. Sarah Palin's run for vice president made some conservatives give thanks. Another governor, Janet Napolitano of Arizona, got tapped to serve as Obama's secretary of Homeland Security. All the while, Ruth Bader Ginsburg served her 15th year on the Supreme Court presiding over cases about gun control, the death penalty, and Guantanamo Bay. I want to know all you favorites from this year, including your favorite woman in power!

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Front Page: SNL Takes on Glenn Beck

TresSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:01:02 -0700

SNL took on Glenn Beck last night in its Thursday night special. - NBC
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been hospitalized. - New York Daily News
President Obama, along with the leaders of France and Britain, accused Iran of operating a secret nuclear facility today. - AP
Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, and David Arquette are set to star in Scream IV. - BuzzSugar
Ex-Manson follower Susan Atkins has died. -CNN

Anita Hill on the History of Female Supreme Court Justices

TresSugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0700

"For me the critical question is not whether the Supreme Court should have seats set aside for women; the one so often asked. Nearly 30 years after Justice O’Connor’s appointment, the question we confront as a country is whether we can let go of the presumption that these lofty positions belong to men. As Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg put it, 'Women belong in all places where decisions are being made . . . It shouldn’t be that women are the exception.'"

- Anita Hill reflecting on Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Senate Judiciary Committee hearings today and on the scant history of women on the Supreme Court. Now a professor of social policy, law, and women's studies at Brandeis University, Hill is best known as a former colleague of US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Hill testified under oath during his 1991 Senate confirmation hearings that her supervisor Thomas had sexually harassed her while they worked together.

Briefing Book! Michelle Obama Speaks Up For the Stimulus

LibertySugar — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 11:30:36 -0800

Michelle Obama: Michelle Obama is out and about spreading the White House's stimulus message. - Huffington Post
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has undergone surgery for pancreatic cancer. - Town Hall
Love: San Francisco's mayor's wife is in a sexy movie. – Wonkette
Feminism: Are women having kids earlier because they take their jobs for granted? - Jezebel

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Would You Like a Woman Nominated to the Supreme Court?

TresSugar — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:00:00 -0700

In his surprise press conference recently, President Obama vowed that he would replace retiring Justice Souter with an "independent" legal mind. He gave no word on the nominee's gender, but the odds that he will pick a woman are better than 50-50.

Only two women have ever sat on the court, and right now Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the only lady justice. Still, President Bush faced the same situation and he nominated two men to the court during his term.

Do you think being a woman should be on the list of qualifications for Supreme Court Justice?

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Ask E. Jean for DearSugar: Is This the Right Way to Pay Off My Debt?

E Jean Carroll — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 13:00:00 -0800

Dear E. Jean -

It’s time for New Year’s Resolutions and I need your advice. What would you think of a 24-year-old Jewish law student, raised in an upper-middle class home in Greenwich, Conn., who is considering working in Boston as a cocktail waitress in an upscale gentleman’s club (read practically topless) to pay off a $23,000 in credit card bills she racked up living like a princess in 2007?

The background: I graduated magna cum laude from college, I’m in my final year at law school, and I’m following the correct path my parents laid down for me. I have four credit cards and I maxxed out all of them buying a great wardrobe . . . and now I’m in serious trouble! (I realize I sound like a pathetic Oprah subject.) I must start paying off my debt!

I know that I could make a ton of money in a place where there are only men. Part of me thinks this is nuts, but part of me realizes that I possess an exceptional talent for flirting with men. This is probably the result of years of manipulating my father - a typical 50-year old egomaniacal, power-hungry CEO, every boss I’ve had since I was seventeen, not to mention my numerous, cocky, good-looking, successful son-of-a-bitch boyfriends over the years. (But my man problems are the subject of ANOTHER letter for ANOTHER time;)

But what if my family found out? I’m wavering. I’m a fairly-sheltered former rich girl. What if I see people I’ve worked with? College friends? Former boyfriends? On the other hand, I’ve got the figure for it, I’ve got the attitude, I could make a big dent in my debt! What do you think, E. Jean? - Befuddled in Boston

To see E. Jean's answer read more.

BEFUDDLED, MY SAUCY CHOPS -

Do it. Every now and then a magna cum laude needs to snap on the nipple twirlers. Why not? What are you, a goddamned old lady? Who are you, Ruth Bader Ginsburg? Try it for a week. It’s not often that a woman with one of the best wardrobes on the Eastern Seaboard gets a chance to make money AND rebel against every single value of her class, her family and her Jewish heritage.

Hell, even if you weren’t in debt, I’d advise you to do it - if only to let you do a bit of drag racing on that “correct path” of yours. It will also broaden your world view which will make you a better lawyer. And when someone you know walks in (and they WILL), smile, wave, and tell them you are “doing research” for a “project.” (You don’t have to explain your project is getting out of debt.) Good luck. You have followed your parents plan long enough. Time to break loose! (At least for a week.)

To see more advice from E. Jean visit Elle Magazine and AskEJean.com.