A Wise Latina or a Baffled Rookie? Media Coverage of Justice Sonia Sotomayor's Ascent to the Bench

A Wise Latina or a Baffled Rookie? Media Coverage of Justice Sonia Sotomayor's Ascent to the Bench

We examine newspaper coverage of the US Supreme Court confirmation process to investigate whether Sonia Sotomayor received different coverage than other nominees due to her status as a minority woman. Sotomayor was the only justice seated over the last three decades who received extensive attention...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of women, politics & policy Vol. 37; no. 3; pp. 316 - 340
Main Authors: Towner, Terri L., Clawson, Rosalee A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Routledge 02-07-2016
Subjects:
gender
intersectionality
media
race
Sonia Sotomayor
Supreme Court
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Summary:We examine newspaper coverage of the US Supreme Court confirmation process to investigate whether Sonia Sotomayor received different coverage than other nominees due to her status as a minority woman. Sotomayor was the only justice seated over the last three decades who received extensive attention to her race and gender, and her coverage was more negatively toned than that received by other nominees. Compared to her counterparts, the press downplayed her intellectual abilities, devoted more negative attention to her judicial temperament, and suggested she would struggle to adjust to her new role. We examine explanations for why Sotomayor received different coverage and conclude that the intersectionality of ethnicity and gender best explains the media's characterization of her.
ISSN:1554-477X
1554-4788
DOI:10.1080/1554477X.2016.1188600