Out to lunch with Arlen Specter

When President Clinton nominated Frederica Massiah-Jackson to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Legal Intelligencer reported that "she joins a court that in recent years has significantly improved its diversity."

"From 1978 until 1992 U.S. District Judge Norma L. Shapiro was the court's only woman judge, until she was joined by U.S. District Judge Anita Brody, The number of women in black robes soon doubled with the hiring of Magistrate Judge M. Faith Angell and the appointment of U.S. District Judge Marjorie O. Rendell, who recently won elevation to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals," wrote the Itelligencer.

The ranks of women judges continued to grow when Diane M. Welsh and Carol Sandra Moore Wells were hired as magistrate judges and Diane Weiss Sigmund was hired as a bankruptcy judge. Strictly speaking Wells is the first African-American woman judge, but Massiah-Jackson wili be the first African-American woman appointed by the President as an Article III judge."

While explaining his reasons for supporting her nomination, Sen. Arlen Specter had this exchange with Massiah-Jackson during her October 29 Senate Judiciary Committee testimony:

Specter: "Your background will be different on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania than any other judge there now. You know the judges' lunchroom is in the federal court house?"

Massiah-Jackson: "I visited there. I believe,"

Specter: "Have vou had lunch there?"

Massiah-Jackson: "One time, I believe."

Specter: "Somebody said you would add a new dimension to the lunchroom."

Massiah-Jackson: "I don't know what that means."

Specter: "It means they have conversations at lunch. And you vou would bring a little different background to the lunchroom."

Massiah-Jackson: "I eat at my desk now."

Specter: "I've had lunch there, they could use some differing backgrounds. They don't need any senators, but they could use some differing backgrounds."

Massiah-Jackson: "Thank you."

Specter: "Also, the food is not sent home."

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Jan 30, 1998
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