You can watch the Sotomayor hearing on C-SPAN. So far this morning Chairman Leahy used his time to anticipate Republican lines of attack and to allow Sotomayor to explain and contextualize a couple of controversial comments that she has made over the years. Ranking Member Sessions made a variety of thrusts, mainly focused on the Ricci (New Haven firefighters) case that the Supreme Court recently overturned.
It seemed to me that Sessions was tentative and ineffective. He wanted to suggest that Sotomayor let her prejudice against white people affect her judgment in the Ricci case, but he was unwilling to press the point. I don’t think he scored many points by criticizing a per curiam decision for being per curiam. Most people don’t know what that dispute is about and won’t care.
My sense is that the Republicans are going to keep going back to the Ricci case and controversial comments, and that the tactic will have little cumulative effect, and will only serve to irritate and alienate the Latino community and bore everyone else.
The order of questioning is by seniority (switching back and forth between parties). You can anticipate the questions by looking at the Senate Judiciary Committee roster.
Sen. Kohl seems a bit grumpy this morning.
Under questioning from Kohl:
Sotomayor supports cameras in the SCOTUS.
She opposes term limits for SC Justices.
She will emulate Justice Cardoza.
Oops, got up for a second and they seem to have recessed for some reason. Is there a vote?
I think it’s the weekly Caucus (Dems)/Conference (repubs) luncheon.
Sounds like a lot of legal “mumbo jumbo”.
that’s the nature of a supreme court justice confirmation hearing.
OrrinHatch2000.com is up now and he is asking about Ricci, as I predicted.
It’s hard to believe that they want to harp on a per curiam issues.
Sessions got pwned.
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How paths cross again: Sessions – Cederbaum – Sotomayor.
In 1986, Cedarbaum and Sessions were both nominated to the federal bench by President Ronald Reagan, and were members of the same orientation class for future judges. Their paths then diverged, however. Cedarbaum was confirmed, but Sessions nomination floundered over a controversy surrounding comments he made involving the Ku Klux Klan and the NAACP.
"But I will not let myself be reduced to silence."He is, if nothing else, completely predictable. As I told one of my GFs:
“Sen. Beauregard: still bitter after all these years.”
These crazy, wingnut, anti-choice mofos are getting bolder and bolder, and I wish my party would hang these jackasses around the repubs’ neck. I am sick to death of them. I fear that they WILL take another shot at someone, given how effective it’s ultimately proven to be.
No one, NO ONE, seems to want to say, “I understand you have your views but you have no right to impose your views on others and your terrorism will not be tolerated.” Given the state of right-wing “morality,” it is clear that they have more than enough work on their hands to live up to their own views without worrying about the rest of us.
How many more people have to be shot and murdered before we tell these idiots–and those that enable and support them–to step off?
Sorry. I just get frustrated between Beauregard’s racist spewing and these anti-choice assholes. Back to work for me.
As a social justice advocate my problem with Sotomayor is her one sided career as a prosecutor that translated into court decisions biased toward prosecution and law enforcement.
New York Senator Chuck Schumer could not be more effusive in his praise for Sonia Sotomayor if he were a member of the Bush family or a spokesman for the GOP.
According to the LA Times “He said, as a judge, Sotomayor ruled for the government in 83% of immigration cases, in 92% of criminal cases.”
I support good law enforcement as much as anyone but America’s criminal justice system is a disaster for justice. Our world record prison population is a testament to the failures of American criminal justice system.
So, in this bankrupt system, how can an objective jurist find for police and prosecutors 92% of the time?
Sotomayor: Authoritarian Rubber Stamp