In a talk with the New York University School of Law on diversity and inclusion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor predictably cited sexism as the reason for a Supreme Court rule change during the pandemic, which now mandates that the justices speak one at a time based on seniority during oral arguments.

The diversity hire Sotomayor said the rules were changed permanently after a study found that “females were interrupted during oral arguments 141 times while males, only 73. Females interrupted others during oral arguments 37 times, while males interrupted others 177 times” during the 2015 term. Sotomayor said her previous solution to fighting interruption was to “interrupt back.”

“Most of the time women say things and they are not heard in the same way as men who might say the identical thing,” she said, with absolutely no evidence. Sotomayor noted that the data had  “enormous impact” and resulted in Chief Justice John Roberts being “much more sensitive.”

For progressives like Sotomayor, the only explanation for inequities in statistics or anywhere else is oppression of some sort: racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. This is a very effective accusation because to deny it is treated by the accuser as prima facie evidence that the accusation is true.