During the second day of her SCOTUS confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Cmte, Judge Sonia Sotomayor was grilled by GOP sens. for her statement about her Latina heritage.
While decisions in racial-preference and gun-rights cases were widely cited, the most dramatic moments came when Ranking Member Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) pressed her about her '01 speech in which she said she hoped 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."
Sessions contrasted her opening statement, in which she pledged "fidelity to the law," with her past speeches. "Had you been saying that with clarity over the last decade or 15 years," he said, "we'd have a lot fewer problems today."
Sotomayor said her remark had been misconstrued, and she pointed to her judicial record as proof.
"My record shows that at no point or time have I ever permitted my personal views or sympathies to influence an outcome in a case," she said.
But the major fireworks came roughly six hours later, when Graham, who was notable for being the only GOPer to indicate he could vote for Sotomayor in his opening statement yesterday, touched on a litany of issues in a line of questioning that was by turns folksy and combative.
"You have these speeches that just blow me away," Graham said early on during his 30 min. period. "Don't become a speechwriter if this law thing doesn't work out."
Graham spoke in a frustrated tone. "The one thing I've tried to impress upon you -- through jokes and being serious," he said, "is the consequences of these words and the world in which we live."
At one point, Graham fished around his surface space on the dais to quote the "wise Latina" passage directly but said he could not find it. He then asked Sotomayor, "Do you remember it?"
She smiled and said, softly, "Yes."
"Ok, say it to me," he replied.
Sotomayor sat silently for more than five seconds, before Graham located the paper with the quote and read it to her.
Continue reading "Sotomayor Hearings, Day Two: "Ok, Say It To Me"" »
Sonia Sotomayor said today that the 1973 SCOTUS ruling in the abortion rights case Roe v. Wade is "settled law." She also said that decision was upheld in the 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
"Casey reaffirmed the holding in Roe," she said, responding to questions from Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI). "That is the Supreme Court's settled interpretation of what the court holding is and it's reaffirmance of it."
Over the course of her long career, Sotomayor has not ruled in an abortion-related matter. This marks her first public affirmation for support of the precedent set in the landmark case.
It's worth noting that Norma McCorvey, known as "Jane Roe" in the SCOTUS case, was arrested yesterday in Washington for disrupting Sotomayor's hearing. In recent years, McCorvey, 61, has become an abortion protester.
(JENNIFER SKALKA)
Much has been made in advance of the confirmation hearings of SCOTUS appointee Sonia Sotomayor about the importance of race in her historic nomination. She would be, of course, the first Hispanic to sit on the nation's highest court. Likewise, with Hispanic voters an ever growing and important political constituency for both parties, lawmakers must consider how their questions to her might be interpreted by this voting bloc. Latino voters backed Barack Obama over John McCain in the '08 presidential contest by a margin of more than two-to-one. Bringing them back to the fold will be critical for Republicans' as they work to revive their influence at the national level.
But the Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Cmte., their national aspirations aside, might be less concerned with how their approaches to Sotomayor are viewed by Hispanics. Just two of the seven GOP members hail from a state with an Hispanic population above the national average of 15.1%, according to Census data.
Take a look:
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
TX's Hispanic population: 36%
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ)
AZ's Hispanic population: 29.6%
BUT ...
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
UT's Hispanic population: 11.6%
Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK)
OK's Hispanic population: 7.2%
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
IA's Hispanic population: 4%
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
SC's Hispanic population: 3.8%
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
AL's Hispanic population: 2.7%
The GOP is not expected to dwell on the merits of Sotomayor's Puerto Rican roots and up-from-the-bootstraps story. Biography, as an overarching theme of the hearings, is a key part of the Dems' agenda in selling her appointment. It will be interesting to see how many of the GOP members ultimately back Sotomayor; only Graham today suggested he might vote for her. Should a partyline vote against her emerge, these Census numbers -- in addition no doubt to the political implications of an endorsement for Obama's first SCOTUS pick -- might provide one explanation.
(JENNIFER SKALKA)
Sports analogies are always popular in the halls of Congress and on the campaign trail, and ever since SCOTUS CJ John Roberts famously compared himself to a baseball umpire during his confirmation hearings, they have a new place in the review of judicial nominees.
The Roberts metaphor was mentioned several times today, and generally speaking, the sports talk was frequent. Perhaps it marked a tribute to SCOTUS appointee Sonia Sotomayor's role in ending the baseball strike of '95. But all the chatter about balls and strikes also reinforced the decidedly male nature of the Senate Judiciary Cmte., which includes two women among 19 members.
Here's a taste:
Ranking Member Jeff Sessions (R-AL): "Such an approach to judging means that the umpire calling the game is not neutral, but instead feels empowered to favor one team over the other."
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), citing some landmark cases that expanded individual rights: "These momentous decisions were not simply the result of an umpire calling balls and strikes."
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX): "To borrow a football analogy, a lower court judge is like the quarterback who executes the plays -- not the coach who calls the plays."
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA): "... I do not believe that Supreme Court justices are merely umpires calling balls and strikes. Rather I believe that they make the decisions of individuals who bring to the court their own experiences and philosophies."
(STEVEN SHEPARD)
With two simple words -- "I do" -- Judge Sonia Sotomayor's week-long odyssey through the Senate Judiciary Cmte began today, as she was sworn in for her SCOTUS confirmation hearing.
But the tone of the hearing was set by the 19 Sens. -- 12 Dems and 7 GOPers -- who spoke earlier in the day. Sotomayor sat patiently facing the dais throughout their speeches. She placed her palms down on the table in front of her. And she did not speak. Under the witness table, her broken ankle was elevated.
Dems praised her judicial record and touted her life's journey as an American story, while GOPers criticized her speeches, specifically her remark that a Latina woman would have better judgment than a white man, and past rulings.
Judiciary Cmte Chair Pat Leahy (D-VT) called the hearing to order two minutes before 10 a.m., and after a brief statement, cmte members delivered 10-minute speeches, alternating between parties according to seniority.
Continue reading "Sotomayor Hearings, Day One: "Fidelity To The Law"" »
As provided by the WH, here is SCOTUS appointee Sonia Sotomayor's prepared statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I also want to thank Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for that kind introduction.
In recent weeks, I have had the privilege and pleasure of meeting eighty-nine gracious Senators, including all the members of this Committee. I thank you for the time you have spent with me. Our meetings have given me an illuminating tour of the fifty states and invaluable insights into the American people.
There are countless family members, friends, mentors, colleagues, and clerks who have done so much over the years to make this day possible. I am deeply appreciative for their love and support. I want to make one special note of thanks to my mom. I am here today because of her aspirations and sacrifices for both my brother Juan and me. Mom, I love that we are sharing this together. I am very grateful to the President and humbled to be here today as a nominee to the United States Supreme Court.
The progression of my life has been uniquely American. My parents left Puerto Rico during World War II. I grew up in modest circumstances in a Bronx housing project. My father, a factory worker with a third grade education, passed away when I was nine years old.
Continue reading "'I Have Witnessed The Human Consequences Of My Decisions'" »
The conservative blogosphere's coverage of the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings has been relatively subdued thus far. The biggest reason is that most righty bloggers believe that Sotomayor's confirmation is inevitable; some are predicting that she'll receive as many as 75 votes. In fact, influential blogger Erick Erickson is explicitly urging his readers to "ignore" the Sotomayor hearings and instead focus their energies on political battles where the outcome is still in doubt, such as cap-and-trade and health care.
That said, conservative bloggers still believe that GOPers have something to gain from these hearings. The Heritage Foundation's Brian Darling argues that "this hearing will be an important teaching moment in history where conservative strict constructionist philosophy is explained to the American people in easy to undersand terms." Similarly, The American Spectator's W. James Antle, III argues that GOP senators "should [have] at least have two objectives in these hearings: 1.) Highlight the less popular aspects of a liberal judicial philosophy and 2.) Make political points about the discriminatory impact of Title VII."
So while conservative bloggers don't think that Sotomayor can be stopped, they still want GOP senators to aggressively (albeit respectfully) question her about her views. A few of them also want to see a lot of "nay" votes. RedState's hogan warns that conservatives "are watching this hearing particularly closely...to see whether Republicans are on the right road -- whether they have an ounce of core beliefs that can serve to provide backbone and a will to fight."
(IAN FAERSTEIN)
Our tweeps began voicing their thoughts on the confirmation hearings for SCOTUS appointee Sonia Sotomayor this a.m. Interestingly, mostly GOPers were tweeting:
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX): "Sotomayor hearing has begun" 7/13, 10:05 AM
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT): "Here's the essay I referred to in my opening statement on the role of the Constitution in Supreme Court nominations. http://is.gd/1xh1r" 7/13, 12:56 PM
GA GOV cand/GA Insurance Commis. John Oxendine (R): "The Sotomayor hearings have begun. She deserves a fair hearing. However, I have serious concerns about her speeches and writings." 7/13, 1:01 PM
Hatch: "Email me your question for Judge Sotomayor at askjudgesotomayor@hatchforsenate.com." 7/13, 1:36 PM
Meanwhile ...
Live From Claire's Brain
Amid intensifying debate over the prospect of a second stimulus, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) stated her position via Twitter over the weekend:
McCaskill: "I do not support a second stimulus." 7/11, 10:52 AM
McCaskill then tweeted a pair of follow-ups about two hours later:
McCaskill: "I believe the first stimulus has helped. No one said it would work magic in 3 mos.Said at the time most of the jobs will be created in 2010." 7/11, 1:00 PM
McCaskill: "Now must give it more time. In the meantime, both R's and D's need to break some very bad spending habits, like earmarks & contracting waste" 7/11, 1:02 PM
WOTT provides a carefully selected slice of tweets written by political leaders, ex-politicians and candidates for office nationwide. Hotline subscribers can read the best overnight tweets in our AM edition.
Do you have a favorite political tweep you think should be added to our list? Email us at hotlinetwitter@nationaljournal.com.
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On Call aside: all tweets are reproduced exactly as they appeared.
(FELICIA SONMEZ)
Watch them here, courtesy of the Washington Post.
A CNN/ORC survey released today indicates that a plurality of the public wants to see SCOTUS appointee Sonia Sotomayor confirmed by the Senate:
Vote in favor of Sotomayor 47%
Not vote in favor 40%
No opinion 13%
The poll shows a partisan divide -- seven in 10 Dems support Sotomayor's confirmation, Independents are split, and nearly two of three Republicans oppose her.
The poll of 1,026 adults was conducted 6/26-28.
CNN compares Sotomayor's reviews with those of her predecessors, as charted by CNN/USAToday/Gallup. She rates higher than Harriet Miers and Robert Bork, whose appointments were doomed, but lower than John Roberts, Samuel Alito, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Clarence Thomas.
Sotomayor's hearings begin Monday, of course.
