07.30.2009 6:50 pm
Questioning judicial nominees is the right thing to do
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
It appears that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has issued a warning to the GOP that they better vote for Justice Sotomayor for Supreme Court or face a backlash. I think the facts should be reviewed a little bit here and determine if perhaps its Harry Reid who should be lectured.
When President Obama was in the U.S. Senate he was on the Judicial Committee. As a member of this committee he made a statement that he didn’t care what kind of experience a judge had as long as they could reflect empathy in their decisions. Justice Sotomayor has a history of making statements that clearly reflect she would use her background in reaching decisions. How else can one explain the “wise latina reaching a better conclusion” comment? Honestly, you really got to try hard to spin out of that one? At the same time she also has a high rate of opinions that have reached the Supreme Court on appeal reversed. To me, that doesn’t sound like someone who should just be voted in to a position for life without questioning.
I would hope any U.S. Senator would do their job and question Justice Sotomayor and not just vote for her because President Obama said so. All senators should seriously question Justice Sotomayor or any justice with a similar case mostly because of what President Obama said he wants in a judge. Whether they approve or not, any Senator who does not question nominees would not be doing the citizens of the United States any favors.
Richard Dierker
Imperial
Sotomayor’s rulings have not shown her to be liberal. If anything, she’s just what the Republicans could ask for from a Democratic Presidential nomination. Be careful what you wish for.
Sotomayor’s rulings have not shown her to be a liberal???? What are you smoking??? Of course she is liberal, and that’s with a capital L. She shares Obuma’s and Rev. Wright’s view to steer this country toward Socialism. Why the Republican Senators won’t fight this nomination to the bitter end (just like Dimocrats opposed any Republican nominee) is beyond me.
Frank,
Have you looked at any of her rulings besides the Ricci case?
“Of course she is liberal, and that’s with a capital L. She shares Obuma’s and Rev. Wright’s view to steer this country toward Socialism.
— frank
7:07 pm July 30th, 2009 ”
Proof, please.
And remember Frank,
We’re talking about her rulings, not her words, taken out of context, and then ran with by Senator (I didn’t mean to call him boy) Sessions.
Jellio,
I agree. Words aside, she will simply replace Souter. Not a big change in the make up of the court.
The letter and some comments here are prejudicial and meaningless. Sotomayor never said she was better or wiser than white men! You are uninformed and gullible to believe the closed, twisted minds of her critics. Out of hate and fear they misinterpreted and misconstrued her statement, which she said to Latino students years ago. Her being for justice and equal rights for everyone does not automatically make her a liberal or socialist! In my opinion she is conservative.
Harry Reid is just playing to Hispanic voters. Chuch Schumer made the same type of comments even before confirmation hearings got underway. I wouldn’t expect to hear Democrat officials urging their Republican colleagues to vote any way their little hearst desire.
Judge Sotomayor will be confirmed without a doubt, and though I don’t agree with much of her judicial philosophy, President Obama is entitled to his nominee and she is qualified to serve. About the best Republicans can hope for is to raise public awareness of how the Court can affect them in a personal way. Pundits keep telling us elections have consequences, and this is one of them.
As George W. was fond of saying”elections have consequences”. I hope Obama”s next nominee is a black woman lesbian..that would make all the ditto-heads have a collective heart attack.
So, Judge Sotomayor would “use her background in reaching decisions?” I guess that’s a bad thing, right?
Uustice Alito during his confirmation hearings: “Senator, I tried to in my opening statement, I tried to provide a little picture of who I am as a human being and how my background and my experiences have shaped me and brought me to this point.”
He continued and said “When I get a case about discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who suffered discrimination because of their ethnic background or because of religion or because of gender. And I do take that into account.”
So we have “background” and “empathy” covered by a Bush nominee and an Obama nominee. One was confirmed and the latter is being criticized.