March 24, 2021 Meeting
Team The Notorious RBG presented on their movie “On the Basis of Sex” (2018), a biographical film about Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was conducted virtually, via Zoom.
The film stars Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Armie Hammer as her husband, Martin David Ginsburg. The movie co-stars Justin Theroux as Melvin "Mel" Wulf (legal director of the ACLU), Kathy Bates as Dorothy Kenyon and Sam Waterston as Erwin Griswold.
The title of the presentation is “Fight For The Things That You Care About.” Team The Notorious RBG is comprised of L. Alexandra Fong, Stefanie Field, Diane Mar Wiesmann, D.W. Duke, Jean-Simon Serrano, Joshlyn Pulliam, Danielle Linker and Jeremiah Raxter.
Attorney Master Stefanie Field introduced the members of Team The Notorious RBG and provided a fun fact about each member of the team. Attorney Master L. Alexandra Fong presented a short biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which is set to the music of Fidelio (Leonore) Overture No. 1, Op. 138 by Ludwig van Beethoven. Justice Ginsburg was a lifelong fan of opera.
Attorney Master Stefanie Field and Barrister Jean-Simon Serrano showed a film clip of a dinner scene at Harvard Law School, wherein Dean Erwin Griswold asked each female student to explain why they were at the law school, taking the place of a man.
After the clip was shown, the audience, comprised of members of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court, was asked the question “What was the make-up of your first year law student body?”. The audience members’ answers were displayed on the screen with the help of a polling app. The majority of audience members indicated their law school class was 50% men, 50% women. A few indicated 60% men, 40% women and vice versa.
Attorney Master Stefanie Field spoke about how this dinner scene actually happened in real life and Justice Ginsburg’s perspective regarding the question. Barrister Jean-Simon Serrano gave the audience updates as to what happened to each of the other female students at Harvard Law School.
Attorney Master L. Alexandra Fong and Attorney Master Diane Mar Wiesmann showed a film clip of a scene where Ruth Bader Ginsburg, after graduating from Columbia Law School, interviewed at her 13th law firm and was still unable to secure a job as an attorney, despite her numerous accomplishments.
After the clip was shown, two questions were asked of the audience, comprised of members of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court: “Has anyone experienced this type of bias before, either toward themselves, or toward someone they know” and “If so, briefly describe what happened.” The audience members’ answers were displayed on the screen with the help of a polling app.
It was surprising to see that many of the audience members had experienced similar bias in their legal profession, primarily female attorneys who had been asked if they planned to have children and those who had been passed up for a partnership opportunity due to being pregnant. Some attorneys had been asked if they were the court reporter when they walked into a deposition or court room.
Special Guest Presenter Virginia Blumenthal, a notable criminal defense attorney and owner of the first female-led law firm in Riverside County, shared her similar struggles at gaining employment as an attorney in the Inland Empire after graduating from law school in 1975, a mere 16 years after Ruth Bader Ginsburg graduated. In those 16 years, times had not changed. Additional information about Ms. Blumenthal can be found in the July/August 2020 issue of Riverside Lawyer, a publication of the Riverside County Bar Association. The portion of the magazine containing only Ms. Blumenthal’s article “My Journey Through the Glass Ceiling” can be found here.
Ms. Blumenthal answered at least ten questions from the audience, ranging from “What advice do you have for a female attorney who has encountered gender discrimination from the bench or opposing counsel?” to “Who is your inspiration?” Each of her responses was thoughtful and well received by the members.
Barrister Joshlynn Pulliam gave a brief synopsis of the appellate case, Charles E. Moritz v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 469 F. 2d 466 (1972). The team showed a film clip where Professor Ruth Bader Ginsburg presented rebuttal argument in that case, heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
After the scene was shown, Ms. Pulliam advised the audience of the decision of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in the Moritz case. SPOILER ALERT: Charles Moritz prevailed!
Barrister Jeremiah Raxter asked the following question “What did the Government rely on in their argument as to why Moritz should not prevail?” The audience members’ answers were displayed on the screen with the help of a polling app. The answer to this question is precedent.
Barrister Jeremiah Raxter presented information about the Government’s infamous Appendix E . He also asked the audience the question “How many different U.S. code sections from Appendix E did the government rely on in their argument?” The answer was revealed within the rebuttal argument clip. The audience members’ answers were displayed on the screen with the help of a polling app. The answer to this question is 178.
Barrister Danielle Linkler, told the audience that the March/April 2021 issue of the American Inns of Court magazine The Bencher is devoted to the late Justice. It can be found by clicking this link.
Barrister Danielle Linkler, who also provided technical support with showing the film clips and polling, introduced a short video in which former clerks of the late Associate Justice Ginsburg remarked on their experiences with her.
At the conclusion of the presentation, Inn members were invited to score the presentation, from a ranking of 1 (worst) to 5 (best). The team and winning presentation will be announced at the May 2021 meeting.