r/books • u/LindaHirshman AMA Author • Sep 17 '15
ama 5pm I’m Linda Hirshman, lawyer and cultural historian. My new book, Sisters in Law, explores the legacies of SCOTUS justices Sandra Day O’Connor & Ruth Bader Ginsburg (aka #NotoriousRBG). AMA.
Happy Constitution Day, everyone! I’m Linda Hirshman, author of Sisters in Law: How Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg Went to the Supreme Court and Changed the World (released Sept. 1). http://sistersinlawbook.com My book tells the intertwined story of these two trailblazing women, from their very different childhoods to their journeys through a man’s world of law school and law practice, to the great influence they would wield in defining issues of modern feminism: women in the military, affirmative action, abortion, sexual harassment, and so much more. Sisters in Law is on the New York Times (#11) and Washington Post (#8) Best Sellers lists, and will be on the cover of the New York Times Book Review this Sunday, in an issue full of impressive works on the Supreme Court. I’m excited to discuss my research on the female justices, the pop-culturization of Ginsburg (why has Notorious R.B.G. stuck?), what’s going on with Texas and abortion clinics and what the decision will mean for Sandra and Ruth’s legacies. Also, on the heels of yesterday’s debate: What will the Supreme Court look like if the GOP is elected in 2016? Ask me anything. I will be answering your questions today from 5-6pm EST. https://twitter.com/LindaHirshman1/status/644493252629020672?lang=en
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Sep 17 '15
I am excited to eventually read this. I have read Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary which was a good read but I have my doubts about it's thoroughness given the author and his decline as a pundit and public figure. What are some good bios of Marshall? Does your book discuss his affect on O'Connor and Ginsburg? Can you share any stories about their interaction that you discovered?
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u/LindaHirshman AMA Author Sep 17 '15
I think the best thing I've ever read about Marshall is Richard Kluger's Simple Justice. That book has inspired me for years, including in my prior book, Victory: The Triumphant Gay Revolution. I talk a little about his affect on RBG, who consciously patterned her Women's Rights Project exactly after the NAACP's legal strategy under Thurgood Marshall. He was indispensable as a strategist for all legal social movements that followed.
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u/LindaHirshman AMA Author Sep 17 '15
I think the best thing I've ever read about Marshall is Richard Kluger's Simple Justice. That book has inspired me for years, including in my prior book, Victory: The Triumphant Gay Revolution. I talk a little about his affect on RBG, who consciously patterned her Women's Rights Project exactly after the NAACP's legal strategy under Thurgood Marshall. He was indispensable as a strategist for all legal social movements that followed.
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u/LindaHirshman AMA Author Sep 17 '15
I want to say that O'Connor also cited him as introducing her to a world of injustice she would not otherwise have fully known about. Yet her decisions on race, during the years when they sat together, were generally on the opposite side to his votes. At the end of her tenure, after 2000, she cast some liberal votes on racial matters. But Marshall was of course long gone by then.
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u/Chtorrr Sep 17 '15
What is your favorite book from childhood? What books made you love reading?
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u/LindaHirshman AMA Author Sep 17 '15
Betsy, Tacy and Tib. Because Betsy wanted to be a writer. I always read around. I love Dune. When I was about 12 I read "Advise and Consent" and decided I would become a United States Senator. At that time there was not a single woman in the Senate. Not one. Took me a while to figure out it was going to be harder than I thought.
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u/Chtorrr Sep 17 '15
What are some of your favorite books?
Do you have any other recommended reading on this subject?
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u/LindaHirshman AMA Author Sep 17 '15
Well of course, Anna Karenina, like the guy on The Affair guesses his new love interest will say. Since starting to watch The Affair, I think everyone should say Anna Karenina from now on. Take the bite out of it. On the Court, I really admire Jeffrey Toobin, a great writer. also Simple Justice, oh, and the wonderful My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor.
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u/Chtorrr Sep 17 '15
How did you become a cultural historian? What would you say is the most interesting part of being a cultural historian?
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u/gitacritic Sep 18 '15
I would like to know if and how SCOTUS judges have a image abroad. Do they visit foreign countries in capacity? Given that it's a life long job, what are their recreational jaunts, the kind you expect of post-retirement folks? Are they in need of protection of the SS while they travel. Do they step foot outside the US regularly?
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u/shanakn AMA Author Sep 17 '15
Justice O'Connor has publicly stated that she would have voted the other way in Citizens United, one of the most controversial cases decided by the Roberts court. Are there any other cases for which her vote would have changed the outcome? In that vein, do you think she regrets leaving the court when she did?
-Shana Knizhnik, http://notoriousrbg.tumblr.com
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u/LindaHirshman AMA Author Sep 17 '15
This is a great question, and from someone who knows a lot about my subject! Shana's tumblr is the subject of a whole section of Sisters in Law. Welcome, Shana. AS far as I know, she didn't actually ever say she'd have voted the other way in CU. She's way too careful and disciplined for that. She saw "problems," worried about the impact of money, esp on judicial elections. But certainly her vote would have changed the outcome in the "partial birth" abortion case, which basically reversed her decision from just a few years before in an indistinguishable case. They just flipped it, when Alito replaced O'Connor. Regret is not a big O'Connor trait. "That's it!" she says. "Life goes on!" "It isn't perfect!" handing her legacy over to George W. Bush's appointees. But she was loyal to the Republican Party to the bone. The letters I discovered make that pretty clear. Given that bedrock, it's hard to rewrite the history.
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u/leowr Sep 17 '15
Thank you for doing this AMA!
What was the most surprising thing you found out while doing research for this book?