Shanetta Cutlar: Some Praise for the Princess
Are you familiar with the delightful song “One, Two Step,” by Ciara (featuring Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott, who used to live down the street from us)?
If not, do yourself a favor, and check out the video. It begins with voice-over by a rapper who exultantly announces, in major-domo fashion, “The Princess is here!!!”
The Princess is here!!! That’s how we feel every time we get to write about Shanetta Y. Cutlar. In case you’re new to ATL, as many of you are, Shanetta Cutlar is the divine diva who oversees the Justice Department’s Special Litigation Section.
Over the past few weeks, we’ve written a great deal about the colorful Ms. Cutlar (who is clearly a public official, by virtue of her influential DOJ post, even if she’s not a political appointee). We consider pretty much all of our coverage of her to be highly flattering. Far from reflecting any actual malice, it exhibits genuine affection for her.
But for those of you who don’t share our love of strong-willed women, we have some more conventionally positive feedback about Shanetta Cutlar. Check it out, after the jump.
First, consider this reader comment, by one Thailour Preston:
I am sick and tired of all of you jelly-backed spineless weasels who write in with your “anonymous” monikers. Even you cowards who used to work for Shanetta should be man or woman enough to step up to the plate and identify yourselves…. How gutless!If you carefully check the records, you will find that real substantive civil rights work is going forth in the Special Litigation Section [“SPL”]. I would say that this is quite an accomplishment considering the current administration and its horrible record on civil rights issues.
No one talks about all the in-house sniping and back-stabbing that went on when she took the job. Plenty of mud-slinging and back-biting by would-be saboteurs galore. The hope was that she would go away and guess what - she’s still standing. Some of these same folks are still in the Section (some are managers) and they have to work for the same woman they hoped (and tried) to destroy.
Let’s not talk about those elitist whining bags of hot air from the Federalist Society (like Ty [Clevenger]) who assumed that they could waltz into the Section without actually having to do real civil rights work. Just show up and let the entitlements begin. When she made it abundantly clear that there would be no free ride, some “turned tail and ran,” while others who could not cut the mustard were shown the door. As hard as it is to believe, some of the attorneys that came in thru the front office pipeline proved to be just as inept and useless “as tits on a bull.”
Good riddance! In this arena, there is no time to entertain whimps, crybabies, or prima donnas. Not when lives are on the line.
And don’t tell me that some of the attacks were not racially motivated. Check yourselves on that.
Bravo! It’s a stirring defense of Shanetta. And Preston’s statement that SPL has been very effective is corroborated by some intelligence from a DOJ source:
Shanetta Cutlar is a PRODUCER — she generates RESULTS. If you look at the stats for SPL, you’ll see that they are excellent. Even if she may not be the most popular boss ever, SYC moves her cases. She gets s*** done (which is more than can be said for many current DOJ officials).People can bitch all they want about her managerial style. But at the end of the day, SYC is advancing the mission of the Special Litigation Section. Our nation’s civil rights laws are being enforced, and people are being helped — thanks to Shanetta Cutlar. More power to her.
One very interesting comment to our last post read, in part, as follows:
You think a supervisor who drives away the talent with their abuse, wasting money and hours of time, is doing a good job? That only works when the SUPERVISOR is a prodigious talent themselves, like Scott Rudin/Anna Wintour, and the abused underlings are merely there to answer phones and go fetch coffee and dry cleaning, and are completely fungible. Not when you are supervising actual talented and trained legal staff, who themselves are handling cases.
In light of the foregoing discussion about the effectiveness of the SPL under SYC, we think the argument can be made that Cutlar is, like Rudin or Wintour, “a prodigious talent” in her own right.
Shanetta Cutlar is smart and tough. She “moves her cases” like nobody’s business, even if it means applying pressure to her underlings (through her famously rigorous “Docket Review” meetings). She works tirelessly on behalf of the people the Special Litigation Section seeks to protect. And she has received numerous awards, including the IACP’s prestigious Civil Rights Award, in recognition of her efforts.
The princess is here! And the enforcement of our federal civil rights laws is all the better for it.
Earlier: Prior coverage of the Special Litigation Section under Shanetta Cutlar (scroll down)
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Where exactly might one find the "stats" or "records" that Preston and the anonymous DOJ source refer to in support of Cutlar's effectiveness? Can someone post them or a link to them?
There are none. Think about it, SPL covers 50 states, Puerto Rico, VI . . . every jail, prision, nursing home, abortion clinic and facility for the mentally disabled. The numbers don't support doing a good job. Plus, her style has left her with less and less lawyers to do the section's work with. Besides, do a Westlaw search and you'll see, they get their asses kicked on a regular basis.
There are none that are public. Check out their press releases, the numbers are different everytime. Think about it, SPL covers 50 states, Puerto Rico, VI . . . every jail, prision, nursing home, abortion clinic and facility for the mentally disabled. The numbers don't support doing a good job. Plus, her style has left her with less and less lawyers to do the section's work with. Besides, do a Westlaw search and you'll see, they get their asses kicked on a regular basis.
Recalling a Ciara/Missy song while referencing a professional black female? I can't tell if you're trying to be funny or not, but it's subtly inappropriate barbs/racism like that that leads to people like SYC being as tough as they are--they have to put up with way more shit to get where they are than you ever will. She's amazing, and you would be lucky to someday get half as much done for people as she does. And by the way, not all black people listen to ghetto hip hop and r&b. Happy blogging!
How come ATL obsesses over "divas," but no mention is made of "divos," ie, eric krautheimer?
sexist much?
Results? Shanetta knows how to churn cases and generate stats. Look at the content of recent settlement agreements versus pre-SYC. No teeth.
BTW, can ATL or someone out there tell us who Thailour Preston is and where his alleged intel comes from? Did he work in DOJ or is he just somebody Shanetta goes to church with?
There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. SPL is broadly regarded as doing a less effective job than other sections in the Civil Rights Division, particularly during Ms. Cutlar's reign. Division lawyers (perhaps excluding the inexplicably erratic political appointees brought in during this Administration) know who the good leaders are. They do not include Ms. Cutlar.
SYC produces . . . even Mussolini made the trains run on time. So she gets her front office correspondence in on time, doesn't that give you a clue that no one has anything better to do?
Great comment Oy Vey. Sooner or later, I knew that racist attitudes would start seeping and creeping into these discussions. It has been subtle and slow-moving. While the majority of black folks are smart enough to understand that "everything is not about race," it is clearly understand that it does exist at every level of society. I will await your snappy, sarcastic comebacks on this comment. Bring it on.
If you want to look at stats (and any other superfluous bulls**t that you want to bring up) that's fine, but the real truth lies in the hearts and minds of the thousands of individuals that SPL has helped in the years that she has been in charge. Unlike her predecessor, she really does care about the work. I see the care, the concern, and passion that goes into the work she does, and while you all are concerned about who she hollered at in a docket review, I know for a fact that substantive, meaningful work is still taking place daily. Show that in your stats.
I do my job, I don't cut corners, and I don't rely on my "friends in the front office" to look out for me, because at the end of the day its about the work and the people that I signed on to look out for.
Race? Who said anything about race? Just like SYC to pull the race card when no one cares what color you are if you are crazy and abusive. Go ahead defend her based on her race. Good luck with that.
Pay attention Anonymous! Oy Vey and I were only pointing out the fact that rap music has to be infused into this discussion about a woman who happens to be African-American. As I stated earlier, I will continue to await all of the "sensitive" comebacks that I fully expected. Don't get your britches all in a bunch.
Are current SPL employee (breaking the press policy I might add) and Oy Vey --SYC's only defenders, TMG & JYJ?
Why so defensive, Anonymous? If you're this sensitive about race, then target the blogger, who started with the suggestive rap inclusion. Targeting the people who point out the subtleties of the blogger's intent is a little bit silly... or revealing of your own personal bias and sensitivities maybe? Bottom line is, the blogger's actions, and reactions similar to yours are what help create people like SYP. Putting up with this sort of thing every day--and yes, it happens to minorities every day in college, law school and law firm life-- makes you tough as nails and harder working than anyone else... Which ironically causes the same demographic that created the situation to whine even harder.
Oh no, I think thou protestest too much Oy Vey, I am not defensive, no one cares that she's, and you are, black. We care that she is a mean, vindictive bitch, we care about the turn over rate in the section since she became Chief that wastes the taxpayers money for her own power trip, we care the numbers are different for every press release about SPL's accomplishments so no one knows what they actually are. Come on, the attrition numbers, minus the Bush Admin people, speak for themselves. You are too talented and smart to be sucked in by her sinking ship after the front row seat you've had to the nonsense. You'd be a much better, fair and productive Chief.
I have no argument with you there. Bloggers should stick to attacking her on a perceived lack of merit reinforced by factual data, if it exists. Drop the racial undertones by comparing her to a hip-hop/r&b star. It's juvenile in its transparency and quite frankly, disappointing to see this sort of frat boy mentality in the ATL blog.
Lat gives everyone--from Supreme Court chief justices to the lowest prisoner pro se--snarky pop culture references. If he didn't have a pop culture reference to Cutlar because she was black, that would be racist. You should be honored that blacks have risen to a place in society where they can be freely criticized for their wrongdoing. One doesn't get a free affirmative action pass that puts one above criticism just because of their skin color.
6:58 AM: Agreed. Lat has quoted Missy Elliott lyrics in writing about old white guys - e.g., Guido Calabresi, a 70-something white male judge - as well as Shanetta Cutlar:
http://underneaththeirrobes.blogs.com/main/2004/08/kiss_me_guido_w.html
Pop culture references are just part of the UTR/ATL shtick. Seems some of SYC's defenders are a little too quick to play the race card.
Please fix this sentence:
(and who, has a high-ranking government official, is clearly a public official, even if not a political appointee).
Thanks
That sentence has been fixed. In fact, the entire post has been rewritten a bit since its original incarnation.
Or maybe some of her detractors are a little too quick to play the race card...that's the main point, isn't it? It tickles me that the canned response du jour when minorities point out incidents of racism is to accuse them of playing the race card--we ARE the race card! Working in the legal world, no one ever lets us forget that we are minorities. We merely respond when someone else isolates us because of skin color and blatant stereotyping. Minorities respond to others "playing the race card" all day. Get serious, anon.
Or maybe some of her detractors are a little too quick to play the race card...that's the main point, isn't it? It tickles me that the canned response du jour when minorities point out incidents of racism is to accuse them of playing the race card--we ARE the race card! Working in the legal world, no one ever lets us forget that we are minorities. We merely respond when someone else isolates us because of skin color and blatant stereotyping. Minorities respond to others "playing the race card" all day. Get serious, anon.
I am glad someone finally posted a picture of this diva. The name "princess" fits her better. I am amazed the DOJ officials are just turning their heads to all of the abuse SYC has placed upon her present employees and the former ones that were lucky to escape her very abusive and unprofessional behavior. Rules were written and everyone at DOJ are instructed to follow them, but I guess the "princess" is above the law. Princess your time is coming sooner than you think.
I agree - "princess" - is definitely more suitable. Regardless of whether the "princess" is black or doing good work the complaints about her attitude have not been "supersonic," "hypnotic" or "funky fresh"- just "funky."
Where is "Thailour Preston"? He talked tough about "jelly-backed spineless weasels" who didn't reveal their identity, then he refused to identify himself. Apparently he never responded to Lat's invitation to e-mail ATL, because the only thing we have from "Thailour Preston" is his original comment. Sounds like a Shanetta crony found a pseudonym. Too clever by half.
"Check yourselves on that."
Ding Ding Ding! We have an illiterate asshat alert. Let me Axe Joo a question. Speaky English Muchy?
The bottom line is that Queen (not Princess) Cutlar has achieved a certain status in life that some of these whimpy, want-to-be attorneys can only achieve in their dreams. Envy will create bitterness. However, perhaps the best solution is to accept the fact that she has a stellar career track record and is in her position to stay. Hail to the Queen!!!
Life if her career is so stellar and she is so great the "Queen" as you refered to her, why is she still in the Special Litigation Section? Might it be because she can't make it out of the Section. Why wasn't she promoted if she is so Great? There have been quite a few positions that she could have filled, that she wasn't offered. The real truth is that she has a Principal Deputy that works to make sure that Shanetta looks good and even she gets her head bit off. How do you explain that, since you are so aware.
Anonymous - Your comments are speculative at best. Nonetheless, she is still the Chief of SPL and her future career endeavors are irrelevant to the issue at hand.