Blog #28: Proving Yourself in a Man's World

Sonia Sotomayor's entire life has been questioned, from her attending Princeton to graduating Yale Law at the top of her class. What's interesting to me, is the writer of this article even points out that if a white man had been doing the same thing, it would be a completely different situation. In this article, Sotomayor is described as a "fiery Latina tempest waiting to knife and brutalize lawyers in the court room". Her ability to be a demanding judge is a great way to get the information that you need. You are able to demand the respect and take control of the court room, certainly something that a judge should be able to do.

Unfortunately, women don't always have the option to take control so they must be "brutal". The article talks about how she is a sharp interrogator that requires lawyers to always be prepared and on top of it, and how this is portrayed as some of her most negative qualities. Following this statement, the article talks about how if she was a man, and a white man at that, these traits would not be negative at all, in fact they would be very positive. This just proves the gender divide in these non-traditional careers. It's hard for a woman to prove herself in a world full of doubt. They also are comparing her style and Scalia's style saying that his toughness is positive, and hers is nonjudicial. "If Scalia asks irrelevant questions, he is just being a dutiful "law professor" trying to hold the attention of the class. If Sotomayor does the same thing, she is just interested in hearing herself talk." So many people have been raised to believe that a woman cannot do the same job, leaving her struggling to find acceptance in something that she is clearly very talented in.