WASHINGTON — The Senate held a history-making debate Tuesday on confirming Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic justice, with Republican opponents asserting she would bring bias to the bench and Democratic supporters saying she was a mainstream moderate.
There was little doubt that President Barack Obama’s first high court nominee would be confirmed with bipartisan support as early as Thursday, but senators lined up to weigh in on her fitness for the bench anyway, with an eye toward the Hispanic electorate and perhaps the next Supreme Court battle.
Nearly three-quarters of GOP senators have lined up against Sotomayor, but a handful support her.
Democrats are preparing to claim a big victory with Sotomayor’s confirmation. They planned a midday rally today on Capitol Hill with civil rights, minority and women’s groups.
by the associated press
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Showing posts with label Sonia Sotomayor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sonia Sotomayor. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Women's groups gives no support for Sotomayor
WASHINGTON (AP) — Women's groups, euphoric when President Barack Obama chose Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, have been remarkably quiet in the weeks since on the judge who would be the court's third woman ever.
Sotomayor's few rulings on reproductive issues have made abortion rights activists unwilling to crusade on her behalf, and other liberal women's organizations say they're waiting to voice full-throated support until they know more about her record.
Their relative silence may be helping Sotomayor — who's been accused of letting her personal experiences interfere with her judging — more than it hurts her.
"She's been able to rise above some of that interest group politics," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a member of the Judiciary Committee that will begin questioning Sotomayor next week in a marathon set of highly publicized hearings.
Prominent Republicans may have made that job easier for Sotomayor, Klobuchar said, by attacking her early on as racist, unintelligent and temperamental — criticisms that were quickly rejected by the party's senators.
"If I were her, I'd rather have Republican senators having to defend me against completely over-the-top complaints than women's groups doing rallies."
Hispanic groups have led the charge in promoting and defending Sotomayor, who would be the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court.
And in the weeks since Sotomayor was nominated, civil rights organizations, law enforcement leaders and some environmental groups have come out in enthusiastic support, some holding news conferences, calls with reporters, and launching new Web sites to champion her nomination. Several have written letters to the Judiciary Committee advocating her confirmation.
Most women's groups, by contrast, have hung back. Aside from issuing favorable statements the day she was chosen, they have done little publicly to press for her confirmation.
Melody Drnach, the vice president of the National Organization for Women, said it's a question of resources for her group, which has been electing new leaders and is embroiled in the debate over health care reform.
"We're doing everything we can do in terms of supporting her," Drnach said, adding that the group will soon step up its efforts behind the scenes, counting votes for Sotomayor and lobbying if necessary to get senators to support her. The group's D.C. chapter plans a rally Monday outside the confirmation hearings.
Drnach acknowledged that early on, NOW talked internally about whether and how strongly to support Sotomayor given her unknown record on abortion rights and the lack of specific indications in her rulings about how she would handle issues important to women.
"We had that conversation, but we also talked about the fact that it would be very, very surprising if the president and his team would nominate somebody who was not going to believe in full equality for women and girls to be a part of the highest court in the land," Drnach said. "It came down to the fact that it's incredibly important to have women's voices at the table and certainly on the" Supreme Court.
Some outside observers say women's groups may be loath to weigh in on Sotomayor's nomination for fear of seeming to confirm her critics' accusations that she would let her own feelings or biases interfere with the law.
"You don't want to do anything that would actually hurt her chances by making it seem like if we get this woman, she'll be sympathetic to women," said Debbie Walsh, director of Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics. "Then she'd be called a sexist, and that doesn't help."
Marcia D. Greenberger of the National Women's Law Center said organizations like hers are not holding back in any way on support for Sotomayor, but they're busy delving into her record to see what kind of a justice she would be.
"There was certainly initial euphoria that such an extraordinary woman was identified with her background and her experiences and her long record, but then the hard work begins for any nominee — including a woman of her stature and her accomplishment — to really look in a very careful way at how she would be on the Supreme Court," Greenberger said.
The center is working on a report on Sotomayor that will be made available after the conclusion of her confirmation hearings.
The National Association of Women Lawyers rated her "highly qualified" this week, but in a letter to the Judiciary panel, its president, Lisa Horowitz, noted that in certain areas important to women — including domestic violence and reproductive choice — the group had "no decisions to review."
Horowitz said Sotomayor shows she's sensitive to the impact of racial and sexual comments and behavior on the job, but doesn't always rule for plaintiffs in such cases unless their claims have a solid legal basis.
Don't expect to hear from NARAL Pro-Choice America, the abortion rights group. Its leaders clammed up about Sotomayor once she was nominated, and the group is spending its time and resources pressing senators to ask her questions about the right to privacy during the hearings.
Women senators have stepped into the breach. They held a kind of speak-in on the Senate floor late last month and a news conference last week to champion Sotomayor.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said she's been hearing plenty from women who strongly back the appeals court judge, but so far there's been no need for "muss or fuss" from groups who represent them.
"Things are going really well. I would predict that she's going to be confirmed. There is no need for groups to get all geared up and go out and tell people to write," Boxer said. "If things take a turn for the worse ... that's a whole other story."
by the associated press
Sotomayor's few rulings on reproductive issues have made abortion rights activists unwilling to crusade on her behalf, and other liberal women's organizations say they're waiting to voice full-throated support until they know more about her record.
Their relative silence may be helping Sotomayor — who's been accused of letting her personal experiences interfere with her judging — more than it hurts her.
"She's been able to rise above some of that interest group politics," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a member of the Judiciary Committee that will begin questioning Sotomayor next week in a marathon set of highly publicized hearings.
Prominent Republicans may have made that job easier for Sotomayor, Klobuchar said, by attacking her early on as racist, unintelligent and temperamental — criticisms that were quickly rejected by the party's senators.
"If I were her, I'd rather have Republican senators having to defend me against completely over-the-top complaints than women's groups doing rallies."
Hispanic groups have led the charge in promoting and defending Sotomayor, who would be the first Latina to serve on the Supreme Court.
And in the weeks since Sotomayor was nominated, civil rights organizations, law enforcement leaders and some environmental groups have come out in enthusiastic support, some holding news conferences, calls with reporters, and launching new Web sites to champion her nomination. Several have written letters to the Judiciary Committee advocating her confirmation.
Most women's groups, by contrast, have hung back. Aside from issuing favorable statements the day she was chosen, they have done little publicly to press for her confirmation.
Melody Drnach, the vice president of the National Organization for Women, said it's a question of resources for her group, which has been electing new leaders and is embroiled in the debate over health care reform.
"We're doing everything we can do in terms of supporting her," Drnach said, adding that the group will soon step up its efforts behind the scenes, counting votes for Sotomayor and lobbying if necessary to get senators to support her. The group's D.C. chapter plans a rally Monday outside the confirmation hearings.
Drnach acknowledged that early on, NOW talked internally about whether and how strongly to support Sotomayor given her unknown record on abortion rights and the lack of specific indications in her rulings about how she would handle issues important to women.
"We had that conversation, but we also talked about the fact that it would be very, very surprising if the president and his team would nominate somebody who was not going to believe in full equality for women and girls to be a part of the highest court in the land," Drnach said. "It came down to the fact that it's incredibly important to have women's voices at the table and certainly on the" Supreme Court.
Some outside observers say women's groups may be loath to weigh in on Sotomayor's nomination for fear of seeming to confirm her critics' accusations that she would let her own feelings or biases interfere with the law.
"You don't want to do anything that would actually hurt her chances by making it seem like if we get this woman, she'll be sympathetic to women," said Debbie Walsh, director of Rutgers University's Center for American Women and Politics. "Then she'd be called a sexist, and that doesn't help."
Marcia D. Greenberger of the National Women's Law Center said organizations like hers are not holding back in any way on support for Sotomayor, but they're busy delving into her record to see what kind of a justice she would be.
"There was certainly initial euphoria that such an extraordinary woman was identified with her background and her experiences and her long record, but then the hard work begins for any nominee — including a woman of her stature and her accomplishment — to really look in a very careful way at how she would be on the Supreme Court," Greenberger said.
The center is working on a report on Sotomayor that will be made available after the conclusion of her confirmation hearings.
The National Association of Women Lawyers rated her "highly qualified" this week, but in a letter to the Judiciary panel, its president, Lisa Horowitz, noted that in certain areas important to women — including domestic violence and reproductive choice — the group had "no decisions to review."
Horowitz said Sotomayor shows she's sensitive to the impact of racial and sexual comments and behavior on the job, but doesn't always rule for plaintiffs in such cases unless their claims have a solid legal basis.
Don't expect to hear from NARAL Pro-Choice America, the abortion rights group. Its leaders clammed up about Sotomayor once she was nominated, and the group is spending its time and resources pressing senators to ask her questions about the right to privacy during the hearings.
Women senators have stepped into the breach. They held a kind of speak-in on the Senate floor late last month and a news conference last week to champion Sotomayor.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said she's been hearing plenty from women who strongly back the appeals court judge, but so far there's been no need for "muss or fuss" from groups who represent them.
"Things are going really well. I would predict that she's going to be confirmed. There is no need for groups to get all geared up and go out and tell people to write," Boxer said. "If things take a turn for the worse ... that's a whole other story."
by the associated press
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Poll's show Most Americans Want Sotomayor on Court
A sizable majority of Americans want the Senate to confirm Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, and most call her "about right" ideologically, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Senate hearings on Sotomayor, President Obama's pick to replace retiring Justice David H. Souter, begin in two weeks, and 62 percent of those polled support her elevation to the court. Sotomayor, 55, is currently a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York.
If confirmed, Sotomayor would become only the third female justice and the second on the current nine-member court. But there is no gender gap in support for her, with men and women about equally likely to be on her side.
Partisan differences, however, abound. Nearly eight in 10 Democrats and about two-thirds of independents said they want the Senate to confirm Sotomayor, but that drops to 36 percent of Republicans. Overall, most Republicans deem the judge a "more liberal" nominee than they would have liked.
But Obama's nominee also divides Republicans: While conservative Republicans are broadly opposed, most Republicans who describe themselves as moderate or liberal support her. More than seven in 10 conservative Republicans said she is too liberal, which is more than double the proportion of centrist or left-leaning Republicans who say so.
Some opposition to her, however, comes from the other side, as about one in five of those who want the Senate to reject her see her as insufficiently liberal.
Overall, 55 percent of Americans said Sotomayor is about right on a liberal-to-conservative scale. About a quarter said she is a more liberal nominee than they would have liked, about the same proportion who called Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. too conservative when President George W. Bush nominated them.
This year, abortion politics again represent a deep dividing line in public attitudes, with about three-quarters of those who are pro-choice in all or most cases behind Sotomayor, compared with less than half of those who favor greater restrictions.
The majority of Americans who want the court to retain the landmark abortion decision Roe v. Wade has remained remarkably steady over the years, and currently six in 10 Americans would want the new justice to vote to uphold it.
This issue also exposes fissures in the GOP: Most Republican men would want Sotomayor to vote to overturn Roe, while Republican women split about evenly on the question.
Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic justice, and her speeches about how her life experiences and her close-knit Puerto Rican family in the Bronx have shaped her view of the judiciary have become somewhat controversial. Critics have seized on a passage in a 2001 speech she gave on separating personal views from an objective reading of the law: "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."
But most Americans do not think her life experiences influence the way she decides cases: Fifty-nine percent said the fact that she is a women does not factor in, and 52 percent said the same about her racial and ethnic background.
Among the 33 percent who said her gender plays a role, more than twice as many say that is a good thing than a bad thing. The groups most apt to call her gender a factor are those with a postgraduate education and liberal Democrats, and they overwhelmingly approve. Here, too, is no gender gap in attitudes.
On race and ethnicity, however, some groups tip the other way: Half of Republican men and 59 percent of conservative Republicans said these play a role in her decision making, with most of those who do saying that that is a bad thing.
The telephone poll was conducted June 18 to 21, among a random national sample of 1,001 adults. The results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
from the washington post
Senate hearings on Sotomayor, President Obama's pick to replace retiring Justice David H. Souter, begin in two weeks, and 62 percent of those polled support her elevation to the court. Sotomayor, 55, is currently a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York.
If confirmed, Sotomayor would become only the third female justice and the second on the current nine-member court. But there is no gender gap in support for her, with men and women about equally likely to be on her side.
Partisan differences, however, abound. Nearly eight in 10 Democrats and about two-thirds of independents said they want the Senate to confirm Sotomayor, but that drops to 36 percent of Republicans. Overall, most Republicans deem the judge a "more liberal" nominee than they would have liked.
But Obama's nominee also divides Republicans: While conservative Republicans are broadly opposed, most Republicans who describe themselves as moderate or liberal support her. More than seven in 10 conservative Republicans said she is too liberal, which is more than double the proportion of centrist or left-leaning Republicans who say so.
Some opposition to her, however, comes from the other side, as about one in five of those who want the Senate to reject her see her as insufficiently liberal.
Overall, 55 percent of Americans said Sotomayor is about right on a liberal-to-conservative scale. About a quarter said she is a more liberal nominee than they would have liked, about the same proportion who called Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. too conservative when President George W. Bush nominated them.
This year, abortion politics again represent a deep dividing line in public attitudes, with about three-quarters of those who are pro-choice in all or most cases behind Sotomayor, compared with less than half of those who favor greater restrictions.
The majority of Americans who want the court to retain the landmark abortion decision Roe v. Wade has remained remarkably steady over the years, and currently six in 10 Americans would want the new justice to vote to uphold it.
This issue also exposes fissures in the GOP: Most Republican men would want Sotomayor to vote to overturn Roe, while Republican women split about evenly on the question.
Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic justice, and her speeches about how her life experiences and her close-knit Puerto Rican family in the Bronx have shaped her view of the judiciary have become somewhat controversial. Critics have seized on a passage in a 2001 speech she gave on separating personal views from an objective reading of the law: "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."
But most Americans do not think her life experiences influence the way she decides cases: Fifty-nine percent said the fact that she is a women does not factor in, and 52 percent said the same about her racial and ethnic background.
Among the 33 percent who said her gender plays a role, more than twice as many say that is a good thing than a bad thing. The groups most apt to call her gender a factor are those with a postgraduate education and liberal Democrats, and they overwhelmingly approve. Here, too, is no gender gap in attitudes.
On race and ethnicity, however, some groups tip the other way: Half of Republican men and 59 percent of conservative Republicans said these play a role in her decision making, with most of those who do saying that that is a bad thing.
The telephone poll was conducted June 18 to 21, among a random national sample of 1,001 adults. The results have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points.
from the washington post
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
July 13 confirmation hearings Sonia Sotomayor
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats, determined to seat Sonia Sotomayor on the Supreme Court quickly, announced mid-July hearings on her nomination Tuesday in a move that surprised and angry Republicans said clouded the prospects for the nomination and other legislative business.
GOP leaders lashed out after Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, announced that he would convene the hearings on July 13 — considerably earlier than Republicans wanted — saying the date presents a "fair and adequate" schedule in line with the timeline for past Supreme Court nominees.
Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, called the Democrats' tactics "heavy-handed" and urged them to reconsider the schedule.
"Let me be clear. ... Because of what our Democratic colleagues are doing and the way they are doing it, it will now be much more difficult to achieve the kind of comity and cooperation on this and other matters that we need and expect around here," McConnell said.
President Barack Obama has urged the Senate to vote on confirming Sotomayor to the high court before it leaves for a congressional recess in August, but Republicans say they need more time to review her nearly 17-year record on the federal bench and that a September vote would provide plenty of time before the court term begins in October.
Leahy said there was "no reason to unduly delay consideration of this well-qualified nominee. She deserves the opportunity to go before the public and speak of her record." He said the hearings will be her first and only opportunity to publicly defend herself against criticism, including conservative charges that she's racist.
"This is a historic nomination, and I hope all senators will cooperate," Leahy said. "She deserves a fair hearing — not trial by attack and assaults about her character."
Republicans were blindsided by Leahy's announcement but cognizant that they have few options short of moving to block votes on Sotomayor or hold up Senate business — both politically unpalatable choices — to delay the timetable. Instead, they complained about the schedule and warned they would press their argument.
"I'm going to insist that we do it right," said Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, who had been in private negotiations with Leahy on a hearing date. "This rush is ill-advised,"
At the White House, spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama was pleased with the schedule.
Leahy and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., spoke to Obama by phone Tuesday morning before Leahy went to the Senate floor to announce the hearing date.
Mid-July hearings should allow for a vote on confirming Sotomayor before the August break, Leahy said, "unless people put unnecessary delays" on the nomination. He noted that the timetable roughly matches the one Republicans and Democrats agreed on for confirming Chief Justice John G. Roberts after then-President George W. Bush named him in 2005.
Republicans point instead to the 92 days that elapsed between the nomination of Justice Samuel Alito and his confirmation, and argue that the 3,000-plus rulings Sotomayor has made warrant a much longer lag time than the 300-plus decisions Roberts had written.
The spat over scheduling her confirmation hearings came as Sotomayor was camped out in a Capitol office meeting with a succession of visiting senators, having scrapped plans to go see them in their offices because of a broken ankle.
Sotomayor said she felt great a day after stumbling in the airport while rushing for a flight from New York City to Washington. But the appeals court judge, whose right leg is in a cast and is using crutches, opted to hold meetings in the office of the No. 2 Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, rather than hobble through hallways for the eight visits on her schedule.
She drew good reviews from one Republican she met with, Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida. The Cuban-born senator spoke with Sotomayor in Spanish before news cameras and later said he expected her to be confirmed "with pretty good numbers."
Martinez also came to the judge's defense over her 2001 comment that she hoped a "wise Latina" usually would reach better conclusions than a white male without those experiences.
"For someone who is of a Latin background, personally ... I understand what she is trying to say, which is the richness of her experience forms who she is. It forms who I am," Martinez said. "I think she was using that as rhetoric, but I don't believe that it is part of what she utilizes in her opinions."
Some Republicans raised serious questions, though, about Sotomayor's positions on sensitive issues. Conservative Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said Sotomayor was "unwilling" to say that the Second Amendment granting gun rights was "a fundamental right that applies to all Americans." He also said the judge had sidestepped a question on whether an unborn child has rights, saying she had never thought about it.
"This is not just a question about abortion, but about the respect due to human life at all stages, and I hope this is cleared up in her hearings," DeMint said in a statement.
Obama's team, meanwhile, continued promoting Sotomayor's confirmation. It held an event at the White House to showcase her endorsement by eight national law enforcement organizations, including the Fraternal Order of Police and the National Association of District Attorneys.
Conservatives called the event an attempt to falsely portray Sotomayor as a "law and order" judge when in fact, they argued, her record exposed her as the opposite, especially on matters of racial discrimination.
by the associated press
GOP leaders lashed out after Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, announced that he would convene the hearings on July 13 — considerably earlier than Republicans wanted — saying the date presents a "fair and adequate" schedule in line with the timeline for past Supreme Court nominees.
Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, called the Democrats' tactics "heavy-handed" and urged them to reconsider the schedule.
"Let me be clear. ... Because of what our Democratic colleagues are doing and the way they are doing it, it will now be much more difficult to achieve the kind of comity and cooperation on this and other matters that we need and expect around here," McConnell said.
President Barack Obama has urged the Senate to vote on confirming Sotomayor to the high court before it leaves for a congressional recess in August, but Republicans say they need more time to review her nearly 17-year record on the federal bench and that a September vote would provide plenty of time before the court term begins in October.
Leahy said there was "no reason to unduly delay consideration of this well-qualified nominee. She deserves the opportunity to go before the public and speak of her record." He said the hearings will be her first and only opportunity to publicly defend herself against criticism, including conservative charges that she's racist.
"This is a historic nomination, and I hope all senators will cooperate," Leahy said. "She deserves a fair hearing — not trial by attack and assaults about her character."
Republicans were blindsided by Leahy's announcement but cognizant that they have few options short of moving to block votes on Sotomayor or hold up Senate business — both politically unpalatable choices — to delay the timetable. Instead, they complained about the schedule and warned they would press their argument.
"I'm going to insist that we do it right," said Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, who had been in private negotiations with Leahy on a hearing date. "This rush is ill-advised,"
At the White House, spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama was pleased with the schedule.
Leahy and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., spoke to Obama by phone Tuesday morning before Leahy went to the Senate floor to announce the hearing date.
Mid-July hearings should allow for a vote on confirming Sotomayor before the August break, Leahy said, "unless people put unnecessary delays" on the nomination. He noted that the timetable roughly matches the one Republicans and Democrats agreed on for confirming Chief Justice John G. Roberts after then-President George W. Bush named him in 2005.
Republicans point instead to the 92 days that elapsed between the nomination of Justice Samuel Alito and his confirmation, and argue that the 3,000-plus rulings Sotomayor has made warrant a much longer lag time than the 300-plus decisions Roberts had written.
The spat over scheduling her confirmation hearings came as Sotomayor was camped out in a Capitol office meeting with a succession of visiting senators, having scrapped plans to go see them in their offices because of a broken ankle.
Sotomayor said she felt great a day after stumbling in the airport while rushing for a flight from New York City to Washington. But the appeals court judge, whose right leg is in a cast and is using crutches, opted to hold meetings in the office of the No. 2 Democrat, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, rather than hobble through hallways for the eight visits on her schedule.
She drew good reviews from one Republican she met with, Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida. The Cuban-born senator spoke with Sotomayor in Spanish before news cameras and later said he expected her to be confirmed "with pretty good numbers."
Martinez also came to the judge's defense over her 2001 comment that she hoped a "wise Latina" usually would reach better conclusions than a white male without those experiences.
"For someone who is of a Latin background, personally ... I understand what she is trying to say, which is the richness of her experience forms who she is. It forms who I am," Martinez said. "I think she was using that as rhetoric, but I don't believe that it is part of what she utilizes in her opinions."
Some Republicans raised serious questions, though, about Sotomayor's positions on sensitive issues. Conservative Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said Sotomayor was "unwilling" to say that the Second Amendment granting gun rights was "a fundamental right that applies to all Americans." He also said the judge had sidestepped a question on whether an unborn child has rights, saying she had never thought about it.
"This is not just a question about abortion, but about the respect due to human life at all stages, and I hope this is cleared up in her hearings," DeMint said in a statement.
Obama's team, meanwhile, continued promoting Sotomayor's confirmation. It held an event at the White House to showcase her endorsement by eight national law enforcement organizations, including the Fraternal Order of Police and the National Association of District Attorneys.
Conservatives called the event an attempt to falsely portray Sotomayor as a "law and order" judge when in fact, they argued, her record exposed her as the opposite, especially on matters of racial discrimination.
by the associated press
Sunday, June 7, 2009
U.S. Rep. Tom Coburn delays meeting with Supreme Court nominee Sotomayor
WASHINGTON — Sen. Tom Coburn, who will be among the senators to question Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor at her Capitol Hill hearings, said the Senate shouldn’t rush the confirmation process.
The point isn’t to delay,” said Coburn, R-Muskogee. "The point is to make an informed decision.”
Coburn is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold nomination hearings.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, the chairman of the committee, said after meeting with Sotomayor last week he wants to have hearings in July, while Republicans want to wait until September, after Congress’ monthlong recess.
Sotomayor began making the rounds on Capitol Hill last week, meeting with Senate leaders and Judiciary Committee members. She was nominated last month by President Barack Obama to succeed Justice David H. Souter, who plans to retire before the next session begins in October.
The White House also wants quick confirmation.
Coburn said in an interview he asked to delay his meeting with the nominee until he’s read opinions she wrote or joined while serving on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
"We have to do a lot of work,” he said. "We can’t do it fast.”
Coburn said he had added another lawyer to his committee staff to help get through all of Sotomayor’s legal opinions.
"I’ve been reading an hour a day on some of the cases already,” he said.
Like an umpire
Many conservatives have blasted Sotomayor for saying — in a speech away from the bench in 2001 — that "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.”
Coburn said he didn’t think the comment was necessarily disqualifying for a seat on the nation’s highest court.
But, he said, life experiences "are not supposed to impact you on the court.”
He said he agreed with the analogy made by Chief Justice John Roberts, who said during his confirmation in 2005 that a judge was supposed to be like an umpire, applying rules rather than making them.
Leahy said attacks made against Sotomayor for the "wise Latina woman” remark entitle her to answer the criticisms quickly.
Coburn said he was concerned about another comment made by Sotomayor, in which she said the federal appeals court level was where "policy is made.” He said he would be combing her legal opinions to determine whether she was "concerned about making policy” from the bench.
from the oklahoman
The point isn’t to delay,” said Coburn, R-Muskogee. "The point is to make an informed decision.”
Coburn is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which will hold nomination hearings.
Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, the chairman of the committee, said after meeting with Sotomayor last week he wants to have hearings in July, while Republicans want to wait until September, after Congress’ monthlong recess.
Sotomayor began making the rounds on Capitol Hill last week, meeting with Senate leaders and Judiciary Committee members. She was nominated last month by President Barack Obama to succeed Justice David H. Souter, who plans to retire before the next session begins in October.
The White House also wants quick confirmation.
Coburn said in an interview he asked to delay his meeting with the nominee until he’s read opinions she wrote or joined while serving on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
"We have to do a lot of work,” he said. "We can’t do it fast.”
Coburn said he had added another lawyer to his committee staff to help get through all of Sotomayor’s legal opinions.
"I’ve been reading an hour a day on some of the cases already,” he said.
Like an umpire
Many conservatives have blasted Sotomayor for saying — in a speech away from the bench in 2001 — that "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.”
Coburn said he didn’t think the comment was necessarily disqualifying for a seat on the nation’s highest court.
But, he said, life experiences "are not supposed to impact you on the court.”
He said he agreed with the analogy made by Chief Justice John Roberts, who said during his confirmation in 2005 that a judge was supposed to be like an umpire, applying rules rather than making them.
Leahy said attacks made against Sotomayor for the "wise Latina woman” remark entitle her to answer the criticisms quickly.
Coburn said he was concerned about another comment made by Sotomayor, in which she said the federal appeals court level was where "policy is made.” He said he would be combing her legal opinions to determine whether she was "concerned about making policy” from the bench.
from the oklahoman
Friday, June 5, 2009
Closer look at Sonia Sotomayor
WASHINGTON — The White House contacted Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor about serving on the high court four days before Justice David Souter announced that he would retire, the judge revealed Thursday, as she sent a Senate panel a massive portfolio of personal details and writings that will shape the debate on her confirmation.
The files gave senators a fuller picture of Sotomayor’s background and record. They also described Sotomayor’s finances, which paint a portrait of a New Yorker who has $1.16 million in assets, but $418,350 in debts, including her mortgage, credit card bills and a big dentist bill.
If confirmed, Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court.
by the associated press
The files gave senators a fuller picture of Sotomayor’s background and record. They also described Sotomayor’s finances, which paint a portrait of a New Yorker who has $1.16 million in assets, but $418,350 in debts, including her mortgage, credit card bills and a big dentist bill.
If confirmed, Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic to serve on the Supreme Court.
by the associated press
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Sotomayor Cartoon In The Oklahoman , It was wrong
Today , I am sad to be a Oklahoman
It was wrong that my Home State top Paper to out this Cartoon in it .
Monday, June 1, 2009
Mild criticism from GOP
WASHINGTON — Leading GOP senators on Sunday passed up the chance to stifle racially charged criticism of Sonia Sotomayor by fellow Republicans as the party worked on a strategy to oppose the Supreme Court nomination.
Sotomayor said in 2001 that her experiences as a Hispanic would lead her to better decisions than a white man.
"I think that she is a person who believes that her background can influence her decision. That’s what troubles me,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee. Although he would prefer that they not call Sotomayor a racist, he said, "people have a free right to speak and say what they want and make the analogies that they want.”
by the associated press
Sotomayor said in 2001 that her experiences as a Hispanic would lead her to better decisions than a white man.
"I think that she is a person who believes that her background can influence her decision. That’s what troubles me,” said Sen. Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee. Although he would prefer that they not call Sotomayor a racist, he said, "people have a free right to speak and say what they want and make the analogies that they want.”
by the associated press
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Obama picks Sonia Sotomayor for High Court
With his emphasis on the personal side of a judge's experience, President Barack Obama made much of Sonia Sotomayor's biography in his nomination speech Tuesday -- and can be expected to do so in the weeks ahead as well.
Much of the story is undoubtedly compelling. Judge Sotomayor, 54 years old, grew up in a poor family in the Bronx borough of New York. The daughter of Puerto Rican parents, she would be the first Hispanic on the court.
When Judge Sotomayor was 3, her family moved into the Bronxdale Houses, a public-housing complex with nearly 1,500 units today, a few miles from Yankee Stadium and right by a major expressway. At 8, she was diagnosed with diabetes. A year later, her father, a tool-and-die maker, died. Her mother, Celina Sotomayor, a nurse, raised her and her brother, Juan.
After graduating in 1972 from Cardinal Spellman High School, a Catholic institution in the Bronx, Ms. Sotomayor went to Princeton University on a scholarship, then Yale Law School.
At Princeton, Ms. Sotomayor was influenced by her Puerto Rican roots. A history major, she was one of a handful of students who created a study seminar on the history and politics of Puerto Rico, telling officials they felt the subject wasn't being addressed by existing courses.
Her 1976 senior thesis was titled, "La Historia Ciclica de Puerto Rico: The Impact of the Life of Luis Munoz Marin on the Economic History of Puerto Rico, 1930-1975." She won the university's Pyne Prize, the highest general honor conferred on an undergraduate, according to school officials.
Judge Sotomayor worked as an assistant district attorney for five years after law school, then at the New York law firm Pavia & Harcourt, where she focused on intellectual-property issues and worked with several corporate clients.
The peak of her career there came representing the Fendi brand, now owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, on trademark actions, according to George Pavia, the firm's managing partner. By the mid-1980s, he says, the firm had accumulated thousands of illegal knockoffs of purses, shoes and other items through seizures, and was seeking a way to show that the Fendi brand name was being protected.
With Judge Sotomayor in charge, the firm decided to stage a large bonfire at Tavern on the Green restaurant. Refused a permit by fire officials, they instead called the media to witness a mass crushing of items in garbage trucks, an event called "the Fendi crush."
It was the pinnacle of our achievement, and Sonia was the principal doer," Mr. Pavia says.
Backed by Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, she was named to the federal bench in the Southern District of New York in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush, then to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals by President Bill Clinton in 1998.
Divorced, with no children, Ms. Sotomayor would be the sixth Roman Catholic on the nine-member Court.
from the wall-street journal
Much of the story is undoubtedly compelling. Judge Sotomayor, 54 years old, grew up in a poor family in the Bronx borough of New York. The daughter of Puerto Rican parents, she would be the first Hispanic on the court.
When Judge Sotomayor was 3, her family moved into the Bronxdale Houses, a public-housing complex with nearly 1,500 units today, a few miles from Yankee Stadium and right by a major expressway. At 8, she was diagnosed with diabetes. A year later, her father, a tool-and-die maker, died. Her mother, Celina Sotomayor, a nurse, raised her and her brother, Juan.
After graduating in 1972 from Cardinal Spellman High School, a Catholic institution in the Bronx, Ms. Sotomayor went to Princeton University on a scholarship, then Yale Law School.
At Princeton, Ms. Sotomayor was influenced by her Puerto Rican roots. A history major, she was one of a handful of students who created a study seminar on the history and politics of Puerto Rico, telling officials they felt the subject wasn't being addressed by existing courses.
Her 1976 senior thesis was titled, "La Historia Ciclica de Puerto Rico: The Impact of the Life of Luis Munoz Marin on the Economic History of Puerto Rico, 1930-1975." She won the university's Pyne Prize, the highest general honor conferred on an undergraduate, according to school officials.
Judge Sotomayor worked as an assistant district attorney for five years after law school, then at the New York law firm Pavia & Harcourt, where she focused on intellectual-property issues and worked with several corporate clients.
The peak of her career there came representing the Fendi brand, now owned by LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, on trademark actions, according to George Pavia, the firm's managing partner. By the mid-1980s, he says, the firm had accumulated thousands of illegal knockoffs of purses, shoes and other items through seizures, and was seeking a way to show that the Fendi brand name was being protected.
With Judge Sotomayor in charge, the firm decided to stage a large bonfire at Tavern on the Green restaurant. Refused a permit by fire officials, they instead called the media to witness a mass crushing of items in garbage trucks, an event called "the Fendi crush."
It was the pinnacle of our achievement, and Sonia was the principal doer," Mr. Pavia says.
Backed by Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, she was named to the federal bench in the Southern District of New York in 1992 by President George H.W. Bush, then to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals by President Bill Clinton in 1998.
Divorced, with no children, Ms. Sotomayor would be the sixth Roman Catholic on the nine-member Court.
from the wall-street journal
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