October 10, 2009
Gender and Judicial Quality? Paper concludes: "Bring on the Women!"
Slate Magazine: Do Women Make Better Judges?, by Stephen Choi, Mitu Gulati, Mirya Holman, & Eric Posner:
Asked and answered—with data.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor's elevation to the Supreme Court brought to the surface a long-simmering controversy about the relationship between gender and judging. Are female nominees for judicial positions chosen based on affirmative action? If so, are women on the bench worse judges than men—or do they come with advantages that men lack? This controversy has legs. If Justice Ginsburg is forced to retire this term because of illness, reducing the number of female justices from two to one, there will be a great deal of pressure on President Obama to nominate another female jurist. Or if Justice John Paul Stevens retires, why not three women on the high court? . . .
The claim that women are worse—or better—than men at judging should be susceptible to empirical investigation. There is no obvious way, however, to measure judicial quality; lawyers dispute endlessly whether cases are rightly or wrongly decided—and, ultimately, a good judge is just a judge who decides cases correctly. Still, we have come up with some indirect measures of judicial quality. These include productivity (how many opinions judges write), influence (how frequently other judges rely on their opinions), and independence (how often judges dissent from opinions written by judges who belong to the same political party). We looked at the performance of hundreds of judges over a number of years and working in different types of courts—state supreme courts, federal trial courts, and federal appellate courts. (Our paper is here.) . . .
[O]ur basic point is this: The fact that female
judges are selected from a shallower pool of talent does not imply that
they are worse judges than men. In fact, the evidence suggests that
they are at least as good as male judges, perhaps better. When she sat
on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Justice Sotomayor ranked among the most cited federal appellate judges in the country. Bring on the women!
October 10, 2009 in In the Courts, Miscellaneous, Supreme Court | Permalink
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September 09, 2009
A Look at the Importance of Birth Order
NY Times: Birth Order: Fun to Debate, but How Important?, by Perri Klass:
. . . Everyone takes it personally when it comes to birth order. After all, everyone is an oldest or a middle or a youngest or an only child, and even as adults we revert almost inevitably to a joke or resentment or rivalry that we’ve never quite outgrown.
Children and parents alike are profoundly affected by the constellations of siblings; it is said that no two children grow up in the same family, because each sibling’s experience is so different. . . . But that doesn’t mean the effects of birth order are as clear or straightforward as we sometimes make them sound. . . .
September 9, 2009 in Miscellaneous, Parenthood | Permalink
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June 13, 2009
Guest Editor, Julie Graves Krishnaswami, Starting Tomorrow
Starting tomorrow, through June 25, my colleague, Julie Graves Krishnaswami, will guest-edit this blog, as I will be out of the country. Here's her bio:

Julie Graves Krishnaswami, Associate Law Library Professor, earned her
J.D. from CUNY School of Law, where she was the Symposium and Articles
Editor for
The New York City Law Review. She received her
Masters in Library and Information Science (M.L.I.S.) from Pratt
Institute and her B.A. in history from Reed College.
As an attorney, she worked as a litigator handling class action and
appellate litigation, including several nationwide securities and
anti-trust class actions. Additionally, she represented non-profit
organizations in commercial and municipal litigation. Before joining
the firm, she clerked for Judge Susan L. Reisner of the Appellate
Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey. Additionally, she
represented public benefit recipients in administrative hearings before
the New York City Department of Human Resources Administration. She has
also worked for Planned Parenthood Federation of American in
Washington, D.C. tracking and researching state legislation on abortion
and women's health issues in the public policy/litigation and law
department.
June 13, 2009 in Miscellaneous | Permalink
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May 18, 2009
Thanks to my research assistant!
Now that the semester is over, I would like to thank my research assistant, Christina Tenuta (CUNY rising 3L), who has been faithfully researching for this blog now for several semesters.
May 18, 2009 in Miscellaneous | Permalink
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May 04, 2009
National Zoo Panda May Be Pregnant
UPI: National Zoo on panda pregnancy alert:

Behavioral changes exhibited by the Washington National Zoo's giant
female panda have put zoologists on a pregnancy alert, officials said.
Detecting changes in her actions and hormones, zoo officials are cautiously optimistic Mei Xiang
might be pregnant. However, they warn it may be another in a series of
false pregnancies for the panda, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
May 4, 2009 in Miscellaneous | Permalink
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February 01, 2009
Women's Law Project Launches Blog
The Women's Law Project has started a blog. Here is a recent post:
Family Planning and the Stimulus Package
Earlier this week, the House of Representatives passed
an economic stimulus package. A previous version of the bill had
included provisions for supplying contraception to low-income women on
Medicaid. When House Republicans objected to the provision, President
Obama asked the Democratic House leadership to remove the family
planning provision from the package, which they did. The bill passed on
Wednesday night without the family planning provision, and without a
single Republican representative voting for the package.
If you’re wondering what all the fuss was about, Time magazine has a good rundown of exactly what happened. The family planning provision - which would not have included any abortion services, thanks to the Hyde Amendment, simply contraceptives - would have been a stimulus measure by reducing health care costs. From the article:
The Guttmacher Institute, which advocates for abortion
rights, estimates that every dollar of publicly funded family-planning
services saves $4 in state and federal dollars. And when the
Congressional Budget Office looked at a very similar provision in 2007,
it estimated that the federal savings would have totaled $200 million
over five years and $400 million over 10.
It’s disappointing that the leadership in Washington did not commit
to helping all women, regardless of their income, make the reproductive
choices for themselves right now. But feminists are hopeful that
funding for family planning for low-income women will be passed soon.
February 1, 2009 in Congress, Contraception, Miscellaneous, Women, General | Permalink
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January 18, 2009
Fire Strikes Nebraska Abortion Clinic
MSNBC/TheOmahaChannel.com: Fire Engulfs Lower Level Of Clinic Where Abortions Performed:
The physician who operates a health clinic
where abortions are performed said a fire that broke out Friday morning
in the clinic's basement is "very suspicious."
The
physician, Dr. Leroy Carhart, said the fire started in the lower level
where records are stored. He said there's nothing in the basement that
could start a fire.
Further, Carhart said, the electrical circuit in the lower level is turned off when the clinic is closed.
Dr. Carhart was the plaintiff in two challenges to so-called "partial-birth abortion" bans decided by the Supreme Court: Stenberg v. Carhart (2000) (striking down Nebraska's ban); Gonzales v. Carhart (2007) (upholding federal ban). In 1991, a fire destroyed Carhart's home and barn, killing seventeen horses, and a pet dog and cat.
January 18, 2009 in Abortion, Miscellaneous, State News | Permalink
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January 13, 2009
Madoff Debacle Hits Reproductive Rights Advocacy Groups
Salon.com Broadsheet: How the Madoff mess hits women, by Nancy Goldstein:
For all the ink that's been spilled
on the Madoff investment scandal, I've read nothing about its impact on
funding for progressive women's causes -- which is considerable. Simply
put, only a small pool of foundations are funding litigation and
advocacy work related to criminal justice or constitutional rights; the
pool that supports related programs targeted to women is smaller still.
With the recent shuttering of two of Madoff's clients, the Picower
Foundation and the JEHT Foundation, that pool has shrunk to a puddle.
Picower was one
of a handful of foundations willing to stick their necks out and
significantly fund the three organizations that handle virtually all
major reproductive rights-related litigation and legal advocacy in the
United States. Now the Center for Reproductive Rights needs to make up
a $600,000 shortage in 2009; Planned Parenthood is out $484,000; the
ACLU's Reproductive Freedom Project is off $200,000.
January 13, 2009 in Miscellaneous, Women, General | Permalink
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December 31, 2008
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
December 31, 2008 in Miscellaneous | Permalink
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December 10, 2008
It's the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Via the United Nations: Human Rights Day: Dignity and Justice for All of Us:
The universal declaration of human rights: A living document
Many things can be said about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
(UDHR). It is the foundation of international human rights law, the
first universal statement on the basic principles of inalienable human
rights, and a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all
nations. As the UDHR approaches its 60th birthday, it is timely to
emphasize the living document’s enduring relevance, its universality,
and that it has everything to do with all of us. Today, the UDHR is
more relevant than ever.
Read the full text of the UDHR.
December 10, 2008 in International, Miscellaneous | Permalink
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November 04, 2008
VOTE!
November 4, 2008 in Miscellaneous | Permalink
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October 24, 2008
No Entries in Contest Awarding $10,000 to an Engaged Couple for Avoiding Premarital Sex
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Don’t have sex, win a $10,000 wedding, by Helena Oliviero:
There seems to be one small problem with a contest that would pay
$10,000 to an engaged couple — they can’t be engaged in premarital sex.
How else to explain that in this sinking economy, no one has stepped forward to enter the Marriage for a Lifetime contest?
Did we mention the cash prize? Or the free flowers, the invitations and other bridal goodies?
The Oct. 31 deadline is fast approaching — but so far, no entries.
October 24, 2008 in Culture, Miscellaneous | Permalink
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October 21, 2008
Billionaire Offers $25 Mil. Prize for Development of Pet Contraception
Wall St. Journal: Billionaire Pledges $50 Million for Pet Contraception, by Robert Frank:
Philanthropists for years have used the “prize model” to spark societal innovations–from space (the X Prize) to the environment (Goldman Prize). The idea is to create a mercenary incentive to create broader social good.
Now a billionaire doctor has come up with what could arguably be the most unusual philanthropic prize of all. It is called the Michelson Prize, named after billionaire inventor Gary Michelson. The cause: pet contraception.
Specifically, he is offering $25 million to anyone who can come up with a feasible dog and cat contraceptive.
October 21, 2008 in Contraception, Miscellaneous | Permalink
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August 13, 2008
National Zoo's Panda Won't Give Birth
NBC News: Zoo's Giant Panda Will Not Give Birth:
The Smithsonian National Zoo's female giant panda Mei Xiang will not give birth to a cub this year, zoo officials announced Wednesday.Zoo
officials said they believe Mei Xiang lost a developing fetus or
experienced a false pregnancy, both of which are common among giant
pandas.
August 13, 2008 in Miscellaneous | Permalink
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July 19, 2008
Welcome to the Blogosphere, Nan Hunter!
Nan Hunter (Georgetown Law) has launched a brand new blog, Hunter of Justice. It will offer a generally legal take on sexuality and gender issues. Here's an excerpt from one of her first entries:
Press reports have been building all week about the Census
Bureau’s announcement that it will not count same-sex couples legally married
in California or Massachusetts (or in other countries) as “married.” The San Jose Mercury News broke the story, which was picked up by the Washington Post, and the AP story ran in the Times and who knows where else. Now People for the American Way
has started a petition campaign calling on the Bureau to change its
policy. It's fascinating to me what legs this story has -- the issue
isn't new (see below), but it's newly visible because it's being driven
as a spin-off of the California drama.
Officials
justify the decision as required by the Defense of Marriage Act (DoMA), which limits recognition of “marriage” to
different-sex couples for purposes of all federal laws and agency actions. See the Bureau’s analysis, originally posted
regarding the 2000 census: http://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/samesex.html
July 19, 2008 in Miscellaneous, Sexuality | Permalink
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July 08, 2008
Sales Drop for Cervical Cancer Vaccine Gardasil
The Wall Street Journal: Merck Buffeted by Analyst Report, by Avery Johnson:
Merck & Co.'s shares dropped 4.8% after an analyst report questioned whether sales of the cervical-cancer vaccine Gardasil have met Wall Street estimates for the second quarter.
UBS pharmaceuticals analyst Roopesh Patel cut his rating on the Whitehouse Station, N.J., drug maker, saying U.S. Gardasil sales may have fallen about $50 million short of expectations.
July 8, 2008 in Medical News, Miscellaneous, Sexually Transmitted Disease | Permalink
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June 17, 2008
Barack Obama Explains the Meaning of Life
Political Punch (ABC News blogs), by Jake Tapper:
At a town hall meeting in Kaukauna, Wisc., Thursday afternoon,
amidst questions about health care and the economy, a young man said he
had a question for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, and Obama should
"please be as intellectual or spiritual as you would like."
"Well this is a lot of pressure," Obama said to laugher.
"My question is: what does life mean to you?" the young man asked....
June 17, 2008 in 2008 Presidential Campaign, Miscellaneous, Politics | Permalink
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June 12, 2008
Rare pregnancy of weedy sea dragon at Georgia aquarium
Yes, this blog usually focuses on human reproduction. But I do love the weedy sea dragon. Plus, isn't it cool that male sea dragons (and seahorses) are the ones who give birth?
Associated Press: Rare pregnancy of weedy sea dragon at US aquarium:
ATLANTA: The Georgia Aquarium is celebrating a rare occurrence: a weedy sea dragon at the aquarium is pregnant.
It is only the third time ever that such a creature has been pregnant at a U.S. aquarium, aquarium officials said.
Sea dragons are one of the very few species along with sea horses
and pipe fish in which the male carries the eggs, said Kerry Gladish,
a biologist at the aquarium.
June 12, 2008 in Miscellaneous, Pregnancy & Childbirth | Permalink
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June 01, 2008
Invitation to Join ProChoice Professionals on LinkedIn
From Justin Diedrich:
LinkedIn is an online social networking site where professionals can meet and share CVs, post jobs, and connect with other like-minded individuals. I started a group called ProChoice Professionals to try and bring together some of the many pro-choicers from so many different medical & non-medical groups.
My goals in creating this conglomerate are to:
- Help increase awareness of reproductive rights
- Increase cohesion and networking in the many facets of the pro-choice community
- Provide a venue for pro-choice professionals to network
- And, really, to get the word out – there are so many of us! The Pro-Choice community is everywhere!
There are already almost 200 members from around the world—NAF, NARAL, PPFA, IPAS, media groups, lawyers, academics, activists, students and self-identified ProChoice individuals!
I wanted to extend an invitation to readers of this blog. When you sign on, you create a profile and will have access to all of the other profiles of our group members. It's a great way to see potential job applicants, colleagues and find people that may help out your research projects.
To send your request to join the group, just click here. If you don't use LinkedIn, when you click you will be asked to create a profile. And you can make your profile as private or as public as you wish.
Please let me know if you have any questions. And please, feel free to extend this invitation to any pro-choice list-serve, friend, or colleague you think would be interested.
Thanks for your support!
Justin Diedrich, MD
Family Planning Research Coordinator
San Francisco General Hospital
The Bixby Center, UCSF
June 1, 2008 in Miscellaneous | Permalink
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May 19, 2008
Inventor Who Helped Make Abortions Safer Dies
L.A. Times: Harvey Karman, 84; invented device for safer, easier abortions, by Elaine Woo:
Harvey Karman, a flamboyant psychologist whose invention made a key
contribution to women's reproductive health, particularly by making
abortions simpler, cheaper and less painful, died May 6 at Cottage
Hospital in Santa Barbara. He was 84.
The cause was a stroke, said his son Kenneth, of Los Angeles.
Activist, inventor, educator and rogue, Karman was drawn to the plight
of women facing unwanted pregnancy in the 1950s, when abortion was
illegal. While training in psychology at UCLA, he started an
underground abortion referral service and eventually performed
abortions himself, for which he was convicted and sent to state prison
for 2 1/2 years.
In the early 1970s he developed a soft, flexible tube, or cannula,
for a device that was widely adopted in the United States and
developing countries to perform early abortions. He freely demonstrated
its use for doctors and other medical professionals and in 1972 was
part of a humanitarian mission to terminate the pregnancies of 1,500
Bangladesh women and girls who had been raped by Pakistani soldiers.
His cannula is still widely used today.
May 19, 2008 in Abortion, Miscellaneous, Reproductive Health & Safety | Permalink
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