The Supreme Court

Obama's Supreme Court Nominee... Any feelings on her?

-Matt

 

Haven't read about that yet... Who is it?

 

Here's a quick little blurb. It was the first thing on Google.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/26/obama-supreme-court-annou_n_207489.html

 

From what I read of her case/decision record it seems that she could be OK... Not completely sure though...

 

Probably a safe pick - some reublicans like her such as Bush 43 and McCain.
I'll probably watch the hearings on CSPAN.

 

Rush and others call her a racist and intellectually deficient

Sotomayor is called a racist by the apparent spokesperson for the Republican party (Rush). Not only Rush but others are also calling her a racist in part because she eats ethnic food.

http://mediamatters.org/limbaughwire/2009/05/29#0025

My opinion on this is that Rush is hurting the Republican party more than he is helping it.

 

That's all I needed to hear.

 

My problem is its not her job or any judge to make up legislation, they have one job to see if a legislative action is Constitutional or not - that is it.

I think she is a trendy choice that is true a minortiy woman but that seems to be the main thing they looked for instead of the main duty to see she is sound in law, and strict application of her power to what I stated above. Judge Bork for example I think would have been an amazing Justice.

 

If she is confirmed to the supreme court, then hopefully the public will view a future supreme court Latin American nominee as a pick that is out of fashion, educated and experienced.

 

Sarcasm aside, I would like to see a latin american nominee for any position in any branch of government to be confirmed due to his or her experience, education, and capability to uphold the constitution and the laws of our nation.
As a Puerto Rican who was born in the Bronx, she definitely does not speak for me. Her words in regards to "white" men are unacceptable and can definitely be considered racist.

 

This is true when the words are taken out of context. If the whole quote is read I think that it can be better understood not to be racist. That her experiences as a minority might make her more sensitive to the side of the issue that may not be in the mainstream and hopefully enable her to sometimes better see both sides of an issue and so be more fair in her judgement.

 

Good points Bill. The whole transcript has to be read for the complete context.

If I recall correctly, I believe Alito was accused of making almost identical comments.

I believe Sotomayor will be confirmed. I also believe it is a good thing.

Abner

 

Speaking of the whole transcript, here it is:

http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/05/26_sotomayor.shtml

In my opinion, I don't believe she's any more racist than anyone else out there. If she would have just changed the word "better" to "different", this wouldn't even be an issue. In the quote, she is referring to a saying that a "wise old man and a wise old woman" would reach the same conclusion over a case. She was concluding, in her opinion, that cultural origin, gender, and race may have an impact on one's conclusions.

She further goes on to explain in the next paragraph that she also believes that those of different values and backgrounds can relate to a different group, citing the Brown v. Board of Education and the nine white justices who ended separate but equal in the schools.

Personally, I believe the supreme court case with the firemen should be the only issue of note. The appearance of not thoroughly reviewing a court case by a panel of judges, no matter what the case is, doesn't sound like an ethical practice, nor does it sound like a practice I'd like to see in the Supreme Court. I am curious to hear her response to questions about it during the hearings.

 

The argument that you are making could also make her less fair in her judgment...

If she is specifically saying that she sympathizes with a specific group, then her judgment could easily be tainted against the "mainstream"...

 

But that begs the question... what IS mainstream?

-Matt

 

I like her although she may be a little too liberal for me but like so many other justices in the past, she'll more than likely moderate her positions once on the Court.

 

I'm very concerned that she might be a race/class/gender activist.

The talk about "empathy" is a little worrying as well. Judges need to make decisions based on abstract questions of law, not based on their own emotional sympathy for one or another of the parties. (When a new precedent is subsequently applied, the parties will be different.)

I strongly and most emphatically favor a system in which the same legal principles apply to everyone, regardless of their color, sex, religion or national origin. That's a big part of what the word 'America' means to me.

But if we begin to stray from the lofty ideal of equality before the law and start defining legal rights and standing depending on individuals' particular race, sex or religion, then I'll sadly and very reluctantly have to look towards defending my own narrower interests.

 

The role of a Supreme Court Justice is a bit more complicated since there is no precedent or established law in some areas. In those situations, the Supreme Court's ruling, since it is binding and sets a precedent, effectively does legislate from the bench.

Of course she was selected because she was a Hispanic female from New York with a great personal story. The selection of justices for the Supreme Court has always been a political process; can anyone point to a time when there was ever a search for the simply best lawyer or judge in America?

 

Latin American organizations lobbied hard to pressure Obama to select Hispanics for positions of power. There is a Latin American who was appointed to a high level position in Obama's administration. Opposition for this nomination has been virtually zero. If not for Sotomayor's choice of words and controversial decisions, news about her nomination would not get much public attention and opposition.

 

Hey, Tom, contact the Fox Network with your idea for the next reality television series 'America's Best Lawyer' and 'America's Best Judge'. Though worse lawyer and worst judge would undoubtedly be more entertaining. Then Ted "The Educated Derelict" could become the next Simon Cowell!