Political Science Prof. Meets Justice Ginsburg
SDSU's Ronnee Schreiber sat on a panel with the Supreme Court justice to discuss women's progress on politics.
For Ronnee Schreiber, meeting U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a wonderful, once-in-a-lifetime event.
“She is one of those people who is a big part of something that I think is incredibly significant for women and our social and political culture,” Schreiber said. “To be able to meet someone who is such an essential part of that is such a wonderful thing for me.”
Women in political office
Schreiber met Ginsburg at the 2011 Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference held in Carlsbad last week. The SDSU political science professor was part of a panel that examined the progress made following the Reed vs. Reed Supreme Court case that examined gender discrimination under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Schreiber presented the political progress made by women since 1971.
“I talked about the status of women in elected office in pure numbers in both national and state houses — how many women there are and compared that to 1971 when the case was handed down,” Schreiber said.
According to Schreiber, the current number of women in Congress has hit a plateau at 17 percent. While there are different theories on why that is, Schreiber said that it is important that women continue to run for elected office.
“Women, regardless of party, do behave differently than their male counterparts and do have a distinctive impact as elected officials.”
“She is a feminist hero and I even learned a little bit more about the really significant impact that she has had...”
About the panel
The panel was the last of the conference and was presided over by Justice Ginsburg, who argued Reed vs. Reed in front of the Supreme Court.
“She is a feminist hero and I even learned a little bit more about the really significant impact that she has had on feminist legal theory in the United States — more than I ever realized,” Schreiber said.
Conference attendees included judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the federal district and bankruptcy courts in nine western states and two Pacific island territories, representatives of the federal bar practicing in these courts, court staff and special guests.
About Schreiber
Ronnee Schreiber is a professor in the SDSU Department of Political Science. Schreiber’s research interests include women and politics, particularly women in American political institutions and women and public policy. She teaches courses in women and politics and American institutions.
In 2008, Schreiber published “Righting Feminism: Conservative Women and American Politics” with Oxford University Press. The book examines how conservative women at the elite level seek legitimacy as representatives of women’s interests.
In addition to her book, she has published a number of articles that examine women in Congress, how feminist organizations adapt to conservative political climates and how conservative women challenge feminist understandings of gender consciousness.
