No, her first name ain’t Honey. It’s Sonia… Justice Sotomayor if you’re nasty.
Every professional woman has had this experience. Someone, usually a man, uses a term of “endearment” with us — honey, sweetie, dear, you know the drill — in the workplace. Perhaps it is only meant to convey some vague nicety, but the overly familiar words come with a paternalistic sheen that invariably attempts to rob us of our authority and standing in a professional context. Turns out Supreme Court justices get this too.
On Friday, Justice Sonia Sotomayor spoke at University of Houston Law Center. The hour-long question-and-answer session covered a wide range of topics, from the state of legal education, to keeping politics out of the Court, to new attorneys who appear before the Supreme Court.
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Given the way sexual harassment and assault has dominated the national conversation over the last few moths, it isn’t surprising Justice Sotomayor also discussed her experiences. As reported by Law.com, she took the time to encourage the next generation of lawyers while also expressing frustration about being called “Honey” at the courthouse:
At a time when women’s rights and the #MeToo movement have dominated national discourse, Sotomayor offered some insight to women law students. Conditions are “getting better,” she said, and the legal profession is improving pay and responsibilities for women lawyers.
But some changes that are less clear-cut yet nevertheless needed will take longer, she said. For example, she expressed hope that someday a U.S. marshal she sees at a courthouse may “think twice before calling me ‘Honey.’”
Maybe now that marshal will finally get the hint.
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Kathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).