The Qualifications of a Supreme Court nominee
By ParaTed2k
@ParaTed2k (22940)
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
May 27, 2009 9:53am CST
Education: BA from Princeton, summa cuum laude; Jurisdoctorate: Yale Law School; Editor of Yale Law Journal; Worked in the New York DA's office; made partner at Pavia & Harcourt law firm; Considered a Political Centrist, but leans to the left by her peers; Nominated to the US District Court of Appeals for New York by Prs. Bush Sr.; Nominated to US 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals by Prs. Clinton; argued that the First Amendment protected speech by the employee “away from the office, on [his] own time,” even if that speech was “offensive, hateful, and insulting,"; sided with the Wall Street Journal in its efforts to obtain and publish a photocopy of the suicide note of former White House Counsel Vince Foster. Sotomayor ruled that the public had "a substantial interest" in viewing the note and enjoined the Justice Department from blocking its release.
With all that going for her, would you still support her if she was "pro life"?
1 person likes this
4 responses
@thegreatdebater (7316)
• United States
28 May 09
Par, Great post. I would have to agree with you, she is not an activist judge that the right has feared Obama would appoint. I think this was a great pick, and it makes it very hard for republicans to go after her, or Obama.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
29 May 09
It might be hard for them to go after her but they're sure still doing it! It's been reported she has a 60% overturn rate of her opinions that have made it to the Supreme Court even though Justice Alito's record using the same standard. They've accused her of saying the courts make laws even though Justice Scalia has also said the same thing. They've attacked her for saying her heritage and gender would affect her judging when Alito said the same thing. Obama has been trashed for saying she has "empathy" when Bush I said the same thing about Clarence Thomas. Rush Limbaugh and newt Gingrich have called her a racist, Glenn Beck has called her "Chick Lady" and Karl Rove has said she's stupid. One Republican referred to her as "Obama's Harriet Maiers" and another one even complained about how hard it is to pronounce her last name.
It's sure to get even nastier before the confirmation hearings come up!
Annie
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
29 May 09
I think that both sides of the aisle need to vette her, and do it well. No nominee deserves any semblence of a red carpet treatment. To do any less would be to fail her as a nominee and their responsibilities.
The Senate failed to vette Ruth "Buzzy" Ginsberg and handed us the most incompetent "judge" in recent history.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
29 May 09
Absolutely every appointment should be vetted by both sides. That's the job of the Senate. I think it can be done with some semblance of dignity and civility, though. I've learned to at least TRY my hardest not to come off like I'm calling someone a racist when I don't mean to but I'm very sure of what I mean to say when I say Rush and Newt and a few other of their right-wing buddies are racist through and through with a healthy dose of sexism thrown in for good measure.
Annie
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
27 May 09
It's odd, those cited rulings contrast remarkably with her other statements on law and trhe constitution. I like what I saw listed here, but i didn't care for some of the other things I know she has said and written. I still haven't totaly made up my mind about her yet I guess. I just wish people would stoip the hype over her race and gender, big frikkin deal, she's a hispanic woman, why would it be so shocking and monumental such a person would be nominated, she has the qualifications.
1 person likes this
@Smith2028 (797)
• United States
27 May 09
“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,” said Judge Sotomayor, who is now considered to be near the top of President Obama’s list of potential Supreme Court nominees.-NY TIMES
"The Court is where Policy is made." - Youtubevideo.
I think these two quotes are enough to disqualify her from the Supreme Court. How can we entrust the highest court in the land to make a decision on upholding the constitution if their thinking follows that of Sotomayors.
The Court is not where policy is made, rather, it is a place where the law is upheld because it is the law not because justices decide to follow a personal agenda.
I do congratulate her for what she has achieved, but she should not sit on the court.
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
29 May 09
But she has already said that her background and experiences are what she will base her decisions on. If she is planning on basing decisions purely on the US Constitution, then being a Latina with empathy wouldn't make a difference in the least.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
29 May 09
Justice Alito said the very same thing about his background. What's your opinion of him? If everything were so clear and so black and white we wouldn't need a Supreme Court or judges of any kind, would we? It would all be spelled out so well there would be no need for interpretation or opinion.
Annie
@ParaTed2k (22940)
• Sheboygan, Wisconsin
29 May 09
Yes, he did, and in and of itself, the statement doesn't disqualify her. I was more responding to your statement than hers. You said that "if she can base her rulings on the law instead of her personal feelings that's fine". So what do you think about her saying that she does expect her personal feelings (empathy being a personal feeling) to effect her job on the bench?
Incidentally, I really never said it was about Sonia Sotomayor. What I tried to illustrate was a nominee with all the same qualifications as her, but was anti abortion on demand.
Little did I know that her stance on abortion would be talked about later. ;~D
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