Posted on 05/09/2007 12:31:54 PM PDT by presidio9
When the Supreme Court had two female justices, even the most experienced advocates would get them mixed up with disturbing frequency, addressing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as "Justice [Sandra Day] O'Connor" and vice versa.
Now that Ginsburg is the only woman on the Court, you'd think that she would no longer be confused with another justice. But on April 24 it happened again.
The embarrassing moment came during oral arguments in Office of Senator Mark Dayton v. Hanson, a case testing whether a senator's hiring and firing decisions are protected under the Constitution's speech and debate clause.
Jean Manning, the Senate's chief counsel for employment, argued that senators are protected from discrimination suits. Toward the end of her argument, Justice David Souter asked her a question, and she replied, "No, Justice Ginsburg."
Those in the courtroom say Ginsburg broke out in a broad smile as Souter said gently, "I'm Justice Souter." Spectators laughed as he told Manning, "You're very flattering."
Manning apologized profusely, and went on. She could not be reached for comment last week, but perhaps it's not as surprising a faux pas as it seems. There is, after all, a distinguished retired lawyer in Washington, D.C., named David Ginsburg.
How could they confuse the two? Ginsburg has actually been married to a member of the opposite sex.
Ouch.
And I bet Justice Ginsberg has never been out jogging in DC parks......!!!
Let me say it again: Thanks so much, John Sununu!
Hopefully George H.W. Bush's son will never take Supreme Court nomination advice from a corrupt anti-Semite.
Nope, she only goes to the park at night.
The rest of the time, when she is not
resting on the bench, she’s resting in
her nice, cool, dark, casket.
Impossible. Ginsburg looks like Ruth Buzzi and Souter looks like Alfred E. Newman. The resemblance is not even close.
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