Interesting issue on the search for a new SCOTUS candidate

[pegkerr]

knitmeapony pointed to this blog article at the Shakeville blog [shakes_sis], pointing to Paul Campos's piece on the fat hatred, prejudice, and ignorance permeating discussions of whom Obama should nominate to replace the retiring Justice David Souter:

Within hours after the news broke that Souter was resigning, concerns arose that [former Harvard Law School dean and current Solicitor General Elena Kagan] and [federal appellate judge Sonia Sotomayor] might be too fat to replace him. A commentator on the site DemConWatch.com noted that of the three most-mentioned candidates "the oldest (federal judge Diane Wood) is the only one who looks healthy," while Kagan and Sotomayor "are quite overweight. That's a risk factor that they may not last too long on the court because of their health."

At The Washington Monthly, a commentator claimed to have employed a more scientifically rigorous method: "To all the short-sighted libs who are clamoring for the youngest-possible nominee... Right idea, wrong methodology. You want someone who will serve the longest, i.e. with the greatest remaining life expectancy—and that involves more than simple age. I tried assessing their respective health prospects, and ruled out all who even border on overweight. Best choice: Kim McLane Wardlaw, whose ectomorphitude reflects her publicly known aerobic-exercise habits."

(Wardlaw's "ectomorphitude" also gets rave reviews at legal gossip site Underneath Their Robes, which describes her as "Heather Locklear in a black robe. This blond Hispanic hottie boasts a fantastic smile and an incredible body, showcased quite nicely by her elegant ensembles.")

Meanwhile, a letter writer at Salon comments on Sotomayor's candidacy, "How do you say 55, overweight, and diabetic in Spanish?" (Sotomayor was diagnosed with Type I diabetes—which doesn't correlate with higher weight—when she was a child).

Lissa urges:

I'll just encourage you to go read the whole thing, in which Campos brilliantly teases out the relationship between sexism and fat hatred.

Personally, I was particularly pleased with the last line of Campos' article:

Indeed, if we were really concerned about medical risk factors that actually do have a significant negative correlation with a candidate’s life expectancy, the most relevant is one that has afflicted 108 of America’s 110 Supreme Court justices: being a man.

Comments

Supreme Court

[markiv1111.livejournal.com]

I am quite sure that President Barack Obama is far more intelligent and less bigoted than a whole lot of the people who are entering this discussion.

N.

Re: Supreme Court

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

One would hope so. Unfortunately, it's the Senate that needs to confirm, and perhaps the same cannot be said of many of them.

Re: Supreme Court

[dd-b.livejournal.com]

I'm not *too* worried the Democrats will vote against an otherwise-acceptable candidate because they're "not healthy enough", within the range of likely nominations.

[wild-patience.livejournal.com]

For as we know, thin fit people never get hit by a bus or die unexpectly. Just ask Jim Fixx.

[nellorat.livejournal.com]

Fixx, who had an inherited heart problem & probably would have died younger without the jogging, is a GREAT example of how many physical concerns can affect longevity more than weight. If we really, really want longevity,* we should be talking about cardio stress-tests, cholesterol/lipids numbers, and probbaly how long their elder family members have lived.

*which personally I think is a mixed blessing in a life-long appointment, actually

[nellorat.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for this!

As I said in another comment, actually, I think extreme longevity in a lifelong appointment is a mixed blessing anyway. However, this does confirm that the fat=unhealthy stuff is getting worse.

[bibliotrope.livejournal.com]

Why is this only being spoken of in regard to female candidates? How about sitting male Justices? Neither Scalia or Thomas are very skinny.

May the ghost of William Howard Taft roll over these people.

[baka-kit.livejournal.com]

There's just so much I could say about the fat hatred and sexism, but I'll settle for not putting my fist through the screen.

(But don't worry about my blood pressure. 106/67 would be doing good for someone 15 years my junior.)

[bohemianspirit.livejournal.com]

"...This blond Hispanic hottie boasts a fantastic smile and an incredible body, showcased quite nicely by her elegant ensembles."

Um, are they talking about voting for Miss America or selecting a Supreme Court Justice?

To think that back in the 70s I thought all this stereotypical idiocy would be dead and buried, and equality would reign supreme...

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

Exactly.