O’Connor adds new perspectives

Feminine view on family law, bias

WASHINGTON – The first woman on the Supreme Court probably won’t sway many cases. But she will bring new perspectives to legal questions – especially in the areas of family law and discrimination. If Sandra O’Connor is confirmed and takes her seat on the bench this fall, she will face touchy legal issues ranging from what states must prove in order to remove neglected children from parents to whether the government may bar colleges from discriminating on the basis of sex. The court – composed of male lawyers, five of whom are 72 or older – has been criticized as lacking experience, understanding and compassion when it comes to sex discrimination in employment and other areas of society. Women’s groups say recent court rulings – particularly excluding females from draft registration, and probably the draft – are particularly harmful to women. More importantly, these groups charge, some of the justifications for the court rulings reflect hopelessly outdated views of woman’s place in society. They cite the ruling that allowed California to punish only males for having sexual relations with minors of the opposite sex, which the court said was justified by the state’s need to protect unwed women from pregnancy . Judge O’Connor has shown sensitivity to women’s rights – perhaps because despite graduating third in her class from Stanford Law School, her only job offer was as a legal secretary. At 51, she also will be the youngest justice. But her rulings