'To the Best of My Knowledge, a Man Has Never Asked'
Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor explains why her membership in the Belizean Grove, a female version of the Bohemian Grove, does not violate the Judicial Code of Conduct, which says judges should avoid "membership in any organization that practices invidious discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin":
I am a member of the Belizean Grove, a private organization of female professionals from the profit, nonprofit and social sectors. The organization does not invidiously discriminate on the basis of sex. Men are involved in its activities—they participate in trips, host events and speak at functions—but to the best of my knowledge, a man has never asked to be considered for membership.
It is also my understanding that all interested individuals are duly considered by the membership committee. For these reasons, I do not believe that my membership in the Belizean Grove violates the Code of Judicial Conduct.
Since the code defines invidious discrimination as excluding otherwise qualified people based on their race, sex, religion, or national origin, I guess Sotomayor feels she has to maintain this pose. But her lawyerly evasiveness reflects worse on her than her decision to whoop it up like Henry Kissinger and David Gergen.
