Hillary Clinton: The Trailblazer

Dubbing her a "trailblazing political pioneer," Hillary Clinton was named a 2008 Woman of the Year by Glamour Magazine.

Although she did not reach the White House, Kati Marton writes that Hillary "won while losing."

She continues to be a huge force on every topic she cares about, and her stature remains undiminished throughout the world. “Hillary has emerged as an international symbol of the endeavor to give globalization a more human face,” says Michelle Bachelet, the president of Chile. Hillary’s famous “18 million cracks” in the glass ceiling—the number of votes cast for her in the primaries—represent the closest any woman has ever come to the greatest prize in the world, the presidency of the United States. Her candidacy defined the high-water mark of the women’s movement in American political life—so far.

First Female Solicitor General?

The U.S. Solicitor General position has been held by many prominent lawyers--Thurgood Marshall and Robert Bork, to name two--but the position has yet to be filled by a woman. Several sources are reporting that "some women could be on Obama's short list for the spot", including Washington lawyer Beth Brinkmann, Stanford Law School professor and former dean Kathleen Sullivan, Harvard Law Dean Elena Kagan, former New York State solicitor general Preeta Bansal, and MetLife litigation counsel Teresa Wynn Roseborough.

Reporting on the immediate impact Obama's decision could have, Joan Biskupic writes:

Unlike justices, who are appointed for life, the solicitor general (SG) serves for four years or less during the president's term. A vacancy on the bench may arise by next summer. Five of the nine justices are 70 or older, and John Paul Stevens is 88. In recent decades, retiring justices generally have waited until the end of a court term, around June, to reveal their intentions.

Election Victories for Women Lawyers

Contested seats go to women in Wake's district court:

Three women -- Jacqueline Brewer, Christine Walczyk and Anna E. Worley -- earned spots on Wake County's District Court benches, beating out their male opponents in Tuesday's election.

The three races at the District Court level were the only contested ones in the Wake County Courthouse, with most of the 11 District Court judges running unopposed for re-election.

A Savvy Sacrifice?

The Feminist Legal Theory Blog, organized by Professor Lisa Pruitt at UC Davis School of Law, directed me to this article in the ABA Journal's online edition. The article, based in part on a recent Time magazine feature, characterizes Michelle Obama's career choices as "savvy sacrifices":

Working as an associate at a powerhouse international law firm based in Chicago, Michelle Obama had what many would have considered a dream job for a lawyer.

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin Named as McCain's Running Mate

[Ed. Note: Ms. JD will be featuring the biographies of some of the professional women who have figured prominently in this year's presidential election.  Some are Democrats, some are Republicans; some are lawyers, some are not; all have dealt with work-life balance issues throughout their careers.  Note that this series is not exhaustive - we encourage Ms. JD bloggers to post about other women who they feel belong in this series.] 

This past week, presumptive presidential nominee John McCain named Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate for the 2008 election.  While not an attorney, Governor Palin provides a good example of how women can seek work-life balance in their lives.

Clippings: Envisioning a Successful Female Presidential Candidate

Kate Zernicki makes some predictions about who, after Senator Clinton, will be the next serious female contender for the Presidency:

That woman will come from the South, or west of the Mississippi. She will be a Democrat who has won in a red state, or a Republican who has emerged from the private sector to run for governor. She will have executive experience, and have served in a job like attorney general, where she will have proven herself to be “a fighter” (a caring one, of course).

She will be young enough to qualify as postfeminist (in the way Senator Barak Obama has come off as postracial), unencumbered by the battles of the past. She will be married with children, but not young children. She will be emphasizing her experience, and wearing, yes, pantsuits.

Hillary in the Media: the Couric Interview [Blogwatching]

Via Shakesville: Katie Couric asks Senator Clinton about being a nerd and being labelled "Frigidaire" by boys in high school. These are only tough questions if you think high school girls shouldn't be studious and ambitous despite the attitudes of high school boys.

Full transcript reads:

Couric: What were you like in high school? Were you the girl in the front row, taking meticulous notes and always raising your hands?

Clinton: Not always raising my hand. Not always raising my hand!

Couric: Someone told me your nickname in school was Miss Frigidaire. Is that true?

Clinton: Only with some boys.

Couric: I don't know if I want to hear the back story on that!

Clinton: Yeah, well, you wouldn't want to know the boys, either. [laughs]

A Measure of Progress: Media Held Accountable for Sexist Remarks About Hillary Clinton

Feministe, the blog of law student (and sometime Ms. JD blogger) Jill Filipovic, has a spot-on summary of recent Hillary-related events. Declaring that "A Bad Day for Sexism is a Good Day for Women," Feministe recaps:

David Shuster at MSNBC asked if Chelsea Clinton was being "pimped out" because she’s making calls on behalf of her mother’s campaign, something that adult children of politicians do to support their fathers’ campaigns with regularity. The Clinton campaign told him how inappropriate his remark was in a private email, but Shuster stood his ground. So Clinton’s communication director, Howard Wolfson, called Shuster out for it publicly and said that Senator Clinton would pull out of the MSNBC debate scheduled for February 26.

Ann at Feministing argues that Shuster's underlying judgment was "bad working mother." Whether vague or specific, sexist remarks are neither novel nor isolated. But something else is novel about this situation--something good. Feministe explains...

[More after the jump]

A Note on the Democratic In-Fighting and the Image of Corporate Counsel

So in the scuffle that was the Democratic Presidential Debate last night Clinton and Obama exchanged a number of accusations including that Clinton served on the board of directors of Wal-Mart; Obama worked for a law firm that represented an inner-city slumlord. Whether or not those barbs are accurate, in good taste, or relevant has generated a lot of media coverage. But the accusations that really caught my attention were the references both Clinton and Obama made to their opponent's service with "corporate law firms."

Clippings: Steinem on Hillary

Gloria Steinem's NYT column, "Women Are Never Front-Runners" completely blew me away. No matter what your political background I recommend her fresh analysis of the coverage of Obama and Clinton and the role of gender in this election. As Steinem writes,

... what worries me is that he is seen as unifying by his race while she is seen as divisive by her sex. What worries me is that she is accused of “playing the gender card” when citing the old boys’ club, while he is seen as unifying by citing civil rights confrontations. What worries me is that male Iowa voters were seen as gender-free when supporting their own, while female voters were seen as biased if they did and disloyal if they didn’t.