17 seconds ago 2009-11-10T07:10:03-08:00
Even though Republicans are crediting her repeatedly, former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor did not come up with the oft-repeated phrase: "A wise old man and a wise old woman often reach the same conclusion."
The author was actually Justice Mary Jeanne Coyne of the Minnesota Supreme Court. In her August 7, 1998 obituary in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, you'll find this paragraph: "Coyne was known for saying, 'A wise old man and a wise old woman often reach the same conclusion' -- a statement that has been quoted by U.S. Supreme Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sandra Day O'Connor." Here's a PDF of the full obituary.
And by the way, the last Supreme Court justice to actually talk about that phrase was Ginsburg.
She told USA Today's Joan Biskupic: "You know the line that Sandra [Day O'Connor] and I keep repeating ... that 'at the end of the day, a wise old man and a wise old woman reach the same judgment'? But there are perceptions that we have because we are women. It's a subtle influence. We can be sensitive to things that are said in draft opinions that (male justices) are not aware can be offensive." The differences between male and female justices, she said, are "seldom in the outcome." But then, she added, "it is sometimes in the outcome." That whole interview is here.
-Jesse J. Holland, AP reporter, Supreme Court
