Austin Piatt | 2024 I.S. Symposium

Name: Austin Piatt
Title: Supreme Stereotyping: The Effects of Gender and Race on the Editorial Media’s Coverage of Nominees to the U.S. Supreme Court
Major: Political Science
Advisors: Megan Wrobel; Ashley Sorensen

This study examines the effect of identity-based stereotyping on the coverage received by nominees to the US Supreme Court. Previous literature indicates that women and women of color are persistently stereotyped based on their gender and race—and that this disparate stereotyping often instigates negative leadership, employment, and electoral backlash. Despite significant social progress, scholars continue to document the myriad ways women and women of color are disadvantaged by their gender and racial identities. Therefore, I ask the following question: what effect do gender and racial stereotypes have on the type and tone of editorial media coverage received by female and racially minoritized nominees to the United States Supreme Court? I hypothesize that female nominees, nominees of color, and female nominees of color will receive more editorial media coverage invoking identity-based stereotypes than will their White and male peers. I also hypothesize that the valence of the editorial media’s coverage will be more negative for female nominees and nominees of color compared to the coverage received by White and male nominees. I conduct a qualitative and quantitative content analysis of editorials published in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal about Supreme Court nominations made since 2009, including the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor—the first Latina to serve on the Court. My findings indicate that nominees of color and female nominees of color receive more editorial media coverage invoking identity-based stereotyping than do White and male nominees. I do not find support for my hypotheses about editorial valence, nor can I conclude that female nominees, not considering their other identities (e.g., race), receive disproportionately stereotype-laden editorial coverage. As the Supreme Court continues to reflect the diversity of the United States, this study offers insight into the discriminatory media environment future nominees will likely endure.

Posted in Symposium 2024 on April 24, 2024.