Blog #28: Sonia Sotomayor

Sonia Sotomayor’s behavior as a 2nd Circuit Judge was unfair to say the least. The article hit we read hit on all the gender stereotypes and double standards that are out there for men and for women. Sonia Sotomayor was characterized as being temperamental and that her temperament was wrong to serve on the Supreme Court. The same temperament that is seen on men was looked at with praise and efficiency. With Sonia Sotomayor, however, the same temperament was labeled as being hot-headed and bitchy. Every quality that has been associated with men candidates was looked at with esteem and was considered a great quality to have. You take those same qualities and attribute them to a woman, not only a woman, but a minority woman and those once great qualities are now looked at with disdain. It was also being attributed to her being of Puerto Rican descent; the fiery Latina women. Sonia Sotomayor’s competency was also questioned extensively. Anonymous quotes were taken and reported saying that Sotomayor was not a smart women. It is more than just quoting someone. These quotes were taken out of context and what was meant as a statement of praise got turned around to discredit Sonia Sotomayor. When the truth came out and the actual quote was printed in its entirety the author did not even offer a rebuttal or an apology. I do not see how this can even be question considering Sonia Sotomayor’s credentials. To be make it out of the projects in the Bronx, to earn a law degree from Yale and graduate summa cum laude from Princeton speaks for itself. How can anyone say that she is not smart? After all these decades of women proving that they can make it in the “man’s world” and that they are as qualified, if not more qualified, then men to practice law you would think that this double standard that is applied to women would have fizzled out years ago.