State Law

With Justice Souter Retiring, Nation Needs To Confront Shameful Gender Imbalance On Supreme Court

By Ryan

Justice David Souter will step down at the end of the Supreme Court’s term this June.

This gives President Obama a chance to right a wrong.

According to the ABA, in 2007, women accounted for:

• 30.1% of the Nation?s  1,143,358 lawyers;
• 46.9% of the Nation?s 141,031 law students;
• 162 of the Nation?s 675 U.S. District Court Judges;
• 42 of the Nation?s 167 Circuit Court Judges;
• 106 of the Nation?s 349 State Supreme Court Judges.

In Connecticut, our Chief Justice, Chase T. Rogers is a woman and women comprise 3 of the 7 seats on the Connecticut Supreme Court.

There is no shortage of talented women in the legal profession.

Yet in 2009, only 1 woman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg serves on the Nation?s highest Court.

There have been 110 Justices in the history of the Supreme Court and only 2 have been women. Said another way, women have comprised only 1.9% of Court?s total membership.

The present gender imbalance on the Court is shameful. We can do better.

Full post as published by A Connecticut Law Blog on May 01, 2009 (boomark / email).