TO CLOSE

In the final vote on the confirmation of Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh, protesters were escorted outside during the appeal.
USA TODAY & # 39; HUI

Judges Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the United States Supreme Court participate in the annual Women's History Month reception hosted by Democrat House Leader Nancy Pelosi , in the US Capital Building at Capitol Hill, Washington, DC.(Photo: Allison Shelley, Getty Images)

Judges Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan of the Supreme Court avoided any discussion of the controversial appointment of the US Supreme Court Friday night at Princeton, but pointed out that calling the court politically divided can undermine its position. legitimacy.

The pre-scheduled appearance of the two Princeton graduates took place at the 2018 "She Roars" conference celebrating women.

Neither Brett Kavanaugh's candidacy nor the events surrounding it were discussed, but they highlighted the danger of a supreme court being viewed from a political perspective, The Daily Princetonian reports.

"We do not have an army, we do not have money, the only way to convince people to do what they say they should do "It's because people respect us and respect our fairness," Kagan said, according to NJ.com. . "I think especially in this period when the rest of the political environment is so divided, each of us has the obligation to think about what gives the court its legitimacy".

"It is extremely important for the court to keep this reputation: this reputation for justice, impartiality, neutrality and not just being an extension of the terribly polarized political process and environment in which we live. "

Sotomayor, a Princeton graduate in 1976, said that "the politicization of the court" came from politicians who were discussing the interpretation of the Constitution.

She said that the founding fathers did not always agree and wrote the Constitution "so that people can decide".

"These discussions yielded results that people can predict," she said. "Politicians have now superimposed this style on the court, which has hurt the court and could continue to be."

Kagan, a Princeton graduate in 1981 and the first female dean of Harvard Law School, said that the relationship between members of the court was open and supportive.

"We always know that everyone is acting in good faith," she said. "We have lunch all the time and talk about our families. We make fun of bad jokes. And we manage to escape the summers. "

But Sotomayor pointed out that, like the other judges, she must always be aware of what they were doing and saying, even far from the marble corridors of the Supreme Court.

"I am much more guarded than I thought before, when I was chatting with friends, making jokes," she said. "You become more guarded even in your private life."

Although neither of them discussed allegations of sexual misconduct surrounding the Kavanaugh debate, they both talked about their careers as women and the challenges they face. they were confronted.

"You can not be a professional woman, even today, whether in law, medicine, in any field, without having a time when someone will treat you differently because that you are a woman, "said Sotomayor, CBS News reported.

Kagan recalled the framed collection of former, uniformly white deans, who had hung in the office of his predecessor on his arrival.

"The first thing I did was take this picture," she said.

Read or share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/10/06/kagan-sotomayor-court-could-mose-lose-legitimacy-if-not-seen-impartial/1547361002/