In chapter 20, what does Atticus mean when he refers to "the distaff side of the Executive Branch"?

The Executive branch of the country at that time was President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The term "distaff" often signifies part of a spinning wheel, but the word is also used to designate the female side of a family. We can infer that the "distaff side of the Executive branch" was the First Lady at the time, Eleanor Roosevelt.