Doing ‘Justice’

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Kait Kerrigan is a playwright and lyricist with an ever-expanding portfolio. She recently penned lyrics for Justice: A New Musical, about seminal female figures of the U.S. Supreme Court. Beginning with the tense confirmation process of Sonia Sotomayor, the play reenvisions three familiar American icons — Sandra Day O’Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Sotomayor — through grand musical numbers.

With a book by playwright Lauren Gunderson, Justice is a product of Kerrigan’s longtime collaboration with composer Bree Lowdermilk. The lyricist-composer duo have several successful albums and off-Broadway productions to their names; they often focus on intimate stories with broader emotional impact.

As the creative team began to unpack the stories of these quintessential American figures, the writing process soon revealed how each justice held an intersection of identities, with personal desires and demands woven into an epic historical legacy. Kerrigan said she was originally most familiar with Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor but found a new favorite along the way.

“They were both heroes of mine,” she says. “But the great surprise of writing this piece for me was diving into the story of Sandra Day O’Connor and learning that there used to be a different kind of Republican on the court.”

Kerrigan hopes that seeing these political legends onstage will bridge the gap between past and present and perhaps inspire bipartisan efforts at communication. “I hope that people who see Justice call their relatives on the other side of the aisle and see a way to start a conversation with them.”