# Fewer female SCOTUS law clerks this year.  Cause for concern?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-female-scotus-law-clerks-this-year-cause-for-concern/370885>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [August 31, 2006, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-female-scotus-law-clerks-this-year-cause-for-concern/370885 "2006-08-31T05:10:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-female-scotus-law-clerks-this-year-cause-for-concern/370885/1 "2006-08-31T05:10:45Z")

</div>

> **[Women Suddenly Scarce Among Justices’ Clerks (Published 2006)](https://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/30/washington/30scotus.html)**
>
> The number of Supreme Court law clerkships held by women is in the single digits for the first time since 1994.

Looks like a statistical blip to me. If it happened again next year, and the year after that, I’d be more concerned. What say you?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-female-scotus-law-clerks-this-year-cause-for-concern/370885/2 "2006-08-31T05:20:00Z")

</div>

Perhaps the female applicants just generally weren’t up to scratch this year?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\
**Post date:** [August 31, 2006, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fewer-female-scotus-law-clerks-this-year-cause-for-concern/370885/3 "2006-08-31T17:12:08Z")

</div>

What difference does it make who clerks for who? I swear, people cry foul over the stupidest stuff.

Everybody who clerks for the Supremes has a law degree. This is not a case of some poor person who is culturally disadvantaged or racially oppressed. This is a case where every person who applies is accomplished. The ones who get the job are the ones who do the best in the interview and have the best cred coming from school. This year there were no women. Next year they may all be women. What difference does it make?