Federal Judge Tells Women Lawyers Not To Dress Like ‘An Ignorant Slut’

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Judge Richard Kopf, a George H.W. Bush appointee to a federal court in Nebraska, offered some strange advice to women litigators in a piece posted to his personal blog on Tuesday: don’t wear clothing that would cause “the female law clerks” to call you “an ignorant ####### behind your back.”

Kopf’s comments were a reaction to a Slate piece by Amanda Hess entitled “Female Lawyers Who Dress Too ‘Sexy’ Are Apparently a ‘Huge Problem’ in the Courtroom.” Judge Kopf’s piece has the more provocative title “On being a dirty old man and how young women lawyers dress.”

Among other things, Kopf’s piece reveals that he has “been a dirty old man ever since I was a very young man. Except, that is, when it comes to my daughters (and other young women that I care deeply about).” And it includes a description of a “very pretty female lawyer” who practices in his court. “She is brilliant, she writes well, she speaks eloquently, she is zealous but not overly so, she is always prepared, she treats others, including her opponents, with civility and respect, she wears very short skirts and shows lots of her ample chest. I especially appreciate the last two attributes.”

Kopf’s purpose in describing this attorney was to reveal that several of the women who clerk on his court viewed her as “unprofessional,” and to imply that perhaps a young attorney doesn’t want to incur the ire of a judge’s closest advisers. Whatever the wisdom of this advice, however, he picked a particularly inflammatory way to express it (in fairness, the “ignorant #######” comment is a reference to a famous, if very dated, Saturday Night Live skit).

One day after his original post, Kopf posted an apology, of sorts:

If, on balance, you think the post was harmful to the image of the federal judiciary and truly treated women as objects, I am very, very, very sorry for that, but I would ask you to pause and reread it. I hope you will find upon objective reflection that the mockery I make of myself and the hyperbole and somewhat mordant tone I employed, made a point worth considering.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/03/27/3419556/federal-judge-tells-women-attorneys-not-to-dress-like-an-ignorant-#######/

Edited March 27, 2014 by Porterhouse

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

From the good judge's blog:

Around these parts there is a wonderfully talented and very pretty female lawyer who is in her late twenties. She is brilliant, she writes well, she speaks eloquently, she is zealous but not overly so, she is always prepared, she treats others, including her opponents, with civility and respect, she wears very short skirts and shows lots of her ample chest. I especially appreciate the last two attributes.

He's an honest man. Gotta give him that.

[mota bhai 2,675]

He's a good man. The feminazis hate good men so we can all look forward to seeing this man destroyed.

[decocker 7,198]

i'm so confused. after being raised in a society that sustains my self esteem and purpose with a constant commercialized onslaught of sexy female, i sincerely thought my aim in this world was to please men (especially judges!) with my appearance AND THEN, try to sneak in some substance.

dudes are confusing.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

i'm so confused. after being raised in a society that sustains my self esteem and purpose with a constant commercialized onslaught of sexy female, i sincerely thought my aim in this world was to please men (especially judges!) with my appearance AND THEN, try to sneak in some substance.

dudes are confusing.

Val! We've missed you!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

i'm so confused. after being raised in a society that sustains my self esteem and purpose with a constant commercialized onslaught of sexy female, i sincerely thought my aim in this world was to please men (especially judges!) with my appearance AND THEN, try to sneak in some substance.

dudes are confusing.

you're on the right path, val. we're all very proud of you.

[LibCampFireClub 635]

Preposterous!! She did finish law school after all. He should just call her #######.

Edited March 27, 2014 by ExExpat

[decocker 7,198]

what kopf doesn't realize, is that it doesn't really matter what women litagators wear, they'll still get called ignorant sluts behind their backs because bishes be jelly.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

what kopf doesn't realize, is that it doesn't really matter what women litagators wear, they'll still get called ignorant sluts behind their backs because bishes be jelly.

That's gangsta right there.

[decocker 7,198]

That's gangsta right there.

well you know, every gangsta needs a gangsta boo and she best not be rachet.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

well you know, every gangsta needs a gangsta boo and she best not be rachet.

So would that make me your boo, or am I the gangsta? Cause I can be ratchet, albeit a well spoken and highly intelligent ratchet, but one none the less.

[decocker 7,198]

So would that make me your boo, or am I the gangsta? Cause I can be ratchet, albeit a well spoken and highly intelligent ratchet, but one none the less.

by default, rachet bishes cannot speak well or with intelligence. rachet bishes must aim to embody the likes of kreayshawn. rachet code doesn't bode well for either of us.

[We Keep Receipts 9,238]

by default, rachet bishes cannot speak well or with intelligence. rachet bishes must aim to embody the likes of kreayshawn. rachet code doesn't bode well for either of us.

I saw what you did there. And I'm impressed.

[luckytxn 2,265]

If a woman wants to dress like an ignorant ####### she should be allowed to.

Edited March 27, 2014 by luckytxn

[LibCampFireClub 635]

If a woman wants to dress like an ignorant ####### she should be allowed to.

Panties labeled with NOW, mini-skirt, and FM heels. Now that would be one hot legal-babe.