During the Senate hearings on whether he should become the next associate justice of the Supreme Court, Neil Gorsuch maintained iron discipline in refusing to commit himself to any position that could count against him. Gorsuch maintained a steadfastly calm demeanor, but he showed his cards in one regard: He could not help repeatedly interrupting the liberal female senators. In this way, he proved himself to be well qualified to sit on the highest judicial bench. Our new empirical study shows that the male justices interrupt the female justices approximately three times as often as they interrupt each other during oral arguments. And the conservative justices interrupt the liberal justices more than twice as often as vice versa.
Female Supreme Court Justices Are Interrupted More by Male Justices and Advocates
Women have adapted by being less polite themselves.
April 11, 2017
Summary.
A new, empirical study shows that male Supreme Court justices interrupt the female justices approximately three times as often as they interrupt each other during oral arguments. Conservative justices interrupt the liberal justices more than twice as often as vice versa. Even male advocates — who are forbidden from interrupting the justices — interrupt the female justices. Over time, the study shows that women learn how to lessen their chances of being interrupted by adopting male speech patterns, such as forgoing with polite pleasantries such as saying “excuse me.”
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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
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