Tag Archives: supreme court

Walmart Facing Biggest Sex Discrimination Class Action Lawsuit Ever Next Week

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Beginning next week, Walmart will go before the Supreme Court to defend itself in the largest class action sexual discrimination lawsuit in history. Walmart is accused of allegedly paying female employees less and favoring male employees for promotions at its 3,400 big box stores nationwide.

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Today’s Lady News: Clarence Thomas’ Wife Asks Anita Hill For Sexual Harassment Apology

  • Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife, Virginia Thomas, called Anita Hill and left a message on her Brandeis University answering machine asking her for an apology nearly 20 years after the two families were embroiled in a very public sexual harassment battle. In 1991, Hill testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee before Thomas’ confirmation that he had made inappropriate sexual comments to her, including describing porn films. “Good morning Anita Hill, it’s Ginni Thomas. I just wanted to reach across the airwaves and the years and ask you to consider something. I would love you to consider an apology sometime and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband,” the voice said. “So give it some thought. And certainly pray about this and hope that one day you will help us understand why you did what you did. O.K., have a good day.” In response, Anita Hill told The New York Times, “[Virginia Thomas] can’t ask for an apology without suggesting that I did something wrong, and that is offensive.” [New York Times]

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10 Things You Should Know About Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan

I’ve already heard her name about 16 times today. So who is Elena Kagan, Obama’s nomination for the 112th justice of the Supreme Court, and what is she all about? After the jump, 10 facts you should know about the next woman who may sit on our highest bench. Keep reading »

Who Is Potential Supreme Court Nominee Elena Kagan, Anyway?

Ding dong, Justice John Paul Stevens is retiring! Surely you remember when President Obama nominated Justice Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court last summer? Well, gird your loins, kiddies, because it’s time to do it all again.

White House gossips say Obama is considering about 10 possible replacements for Stevens and U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan is thought to be on the short list. (Hillary Clinton‘s name is also being mumbled, but somehow I don’t see girlfriend ditching her Secretary of State post.) Let’s get acquainted with Elena Kagan, shall we? Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Sonia Sotomayor Sworn In As Supreme Court Justice

  • “Wise Latina” Sonia Sotomayor took the judicial oath of the Supreme Court on Saturday morning. She is the first Latina and the third woman to sit on the Supreme Court. [New York Times] — Her first case will be a snoozy-sounding campaign finance matter. Unless you’re into that sort of thing.
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Today’s Lady News: Sonia Sotomayor Confirmed To The Supreme Court

  • Sonia Sotomayor has been confirmed by the Senate in a 68-31 vote. After she receives the oath of office, Sotomayor will be the first Latina judge and third female judge to join the bench. [New York Times]
  • Chris Brown‘s sentencing for his assault of Rihanna has been delayed until August 27th. The judge on the case said she’d like for Brown to do hard labor as part of his community service. [TMZ] — That punishment’s a little better, but we still think Chris Brown should do some time to make the “don’t beat your girlfriend” message loud and clear.
  • Unfortch, yet another celeb got busted for allegedly beating a woman. Tom Sizemore, who starred in “Black Hawk Down,” was arrested last night for misdemeanor domestic violence against a female companion. In 2003, Sizemore was convicted of hitting his ex, Heidi Fleiss. [FoxNews] — Hitting women: hot in Hollywood right now?

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Sonia Sotomayor Gets The A-OK From Senate Panel

Hotly contested Latina Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor was endorsed by the Senate Judiciary Committee today, by a vote of 13 to 6. Twelve Democrats and one Republican voted for her, which means maybe this thing won’t be so hotly contested after all? The New York Times says that Senate confirmation is pretty much guaranteed, even though some Republicans are pissed because they think Sotomayor is a liberal activist. Do you think Sonia Sotomayor will make a good Supreme Court justice? [NY Times] Keep reading »

Breaking: Sonia Sotomayor Can Be Objective, Too

Supreme Court justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor is in the middle her confirmation hearings. Each day, we reach new heights of irritation that her impartiality is called into question.

Sen. Jeff Sessions of Senate Judiciary Committee summed up the tone the best on “Face The Nation” on Sunday, when he said, “Every judge must be committed every day to not let their personal politics, their ethnic background, their biases, sympathies influence the nature of their decision-making process.” The implicit question-behind-the-questions seem to be, should Sotomayor not be confirmed because she may judge like a Latina and a woman, instead of like white males who comprise the majority of the Supreme Court?

While, obviously, Sessions is correct that judges must be fair and impartial, it seems to us like Sotomayor’s ethnic background is only a big to do right now because it’s something other than white—as if white people don’t have biases, too. Keep reading »

The Only Woman On The Supreme Court: Ruth Bader Ginsberg Tells All

A lot of people are happy that Barack Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, but Emily Bazelon from Slate found someone in particular who is pretty psyched: the only woman presently sitting on the Court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

Ever since Justice Sandra Day O’Connor retired three years ago, Ginsberg has represented the XX chromosomes on the most important bench in the country with her colleagues—eight men. She spoke with Bazelon for the New York Times‘ Sunday magazine about why the Supreme Court should have more women on it, why women might judge differently than men do, and her concerns about reproductive rights and the legality of abortion.

We collected nine bits of Ginsberg-ian wisdom, after the jump. [The New York Times Magazine] Keep reading »

Supreme Court Says Strip Search Of 13-Year-Old Was Unconstitutional

In 2003, Savanna Redding was 13 when a classmate was caught with prescription strength ibuprofen and told her school administrators she bought the pills from Savanna. So school officials searched Savanna’s backpack. When they found nothing, two female employees took her to the bathroom and strip-searched her to her bra and underwear. Still nothing. So they had Savanna take off her undies and shake them out.

Redding’s mother sued the school district for violating her daughter’s 4th amendment rights against unreasonable search and seizure. And the case made it all the way up to the Supreme Court. It’s taken six years, but the court has finally made a ruling: this strip search was not okay. Keep reading »