Fewer than 20 percent of federal appellate judges are female, but of the appellate judges called a "bully" or accused of similar words in the AFJ (outburst, intemperate, temperamental, discourteous, or unpleasant), 40 percent (4 of 10) were women. In sum, female judges are twice as likely as male judges to draw criticism for outspokenness and aggression. (It is theoretically possible, of course, that twice as many female judges as male judges actually are outspoken and aggressive, but there is little reason to think that, and my anecdotal experience is to the contrary - that male judges are more likely to be aggressive, whether in proper or improper ways.)
We noted yesterday that it's hard to believe that if judge Sonia Sotomayor were a man that the New York Times, just three days after the nomination was announced, would run a lengthy news piece that revolved solely around the fact that Sotomayor had a reputation of being pushy on the bench. (That's a trait that's often celebrated when displayed by male judges.)
We noted that the Times, at least according to Nexis, never wrote an article about legal hot head Antonin Scalia's temperament during his nomination process. In fact, the Times never wrote a single sentence about how Scalia famously pushed people around from the bench.
Looking over this table, I can certainly see why Sonia Sotomayor might remind you of someone nominated for the Supreme Court by George W. Bush:
And then there's Ramesh Ponnuru who dubs her Obama's Miers. Because, I guess, the qualifications Sotomayor holds only count as qualifications if you're a white dude.
But she's the one who's biased, right?
Not only that... she's got cooties! Anonymous sources within 500 miles of her confirm.
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