The Nation: Obama Pick Sonia Sotomayor Reflects America by John Nichols

Obama Pick Sonia Sotomayor Reflects America

posted by John Nichols on 05/26/2009 @ 08:45am

link:

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/438510/obama_s_pick_sonia_sotomayor_reflects_america?rel=hp_picks

snip:"Sotomayor was not the most liberal of the prospective jurists, but that did not matter to conservatives who have been preparing for a fight. Wendy Long, counsel to the right's Judicial Confirmation Network, came out swinging: "Judge Sotomayor is a liberal judicial activist of the first order who thinks her own personal political agenda is more important than the law as written. She thinks that judges should dictate policy, and that one's sex, race, and ethnicity ought to affect the decisions one renders from the bench.""

snip:"That's a reference to a case involving applications for promotions within the New Haven, Connecticut fire department, in which Sotomayor was a member of a judicial panel that objected to tests used to evaluate candidates for promotion when no minority candidates ranked at the top of the list of those who took the test.

That white male jurists agreed with Sotomayor will be lost on her critics. But her record is generally seen as being very much in the mainstream of legal debates about diversity and affirmative action.

The swift strike at this nominee provides a reminder of how important this confirmation battle will be to conservatives, who see the fight to block Obama's first high-court pick as essential to the renewal of their sagging political fortunes. "

snip: "Even before the nomination was announced, National Organization for Women president Kim Gandy announced that NOW would launch a "Confirm Her" campaign to ensure swift confirmation of the nominee.

" Nominated to serve as the third woman and first Hispanic on the Supreme Court in the history of the United States, Judge Sotomayor will serve the nation with distinction. She brings a lifelong commitment to equality, justice and opportunity, as well as the respect of her peers, unassailable integrity, and a keen intellect informed by experience. President Obama said he wanted a justice with 'towering intellect' and a 'common touch' and he found both in Judge Sotomayor," said Gandy. "What more do women want? We want a swift confirmation in the U.S. Senate, and Associate Justice Sotomayor to join Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Court before the Senate's August recess. ""

link to full article:

http://www.thenation.com/blogs/thebeat/438510/obama_s_pick_sonia_sotomayor_reflects_america?rel=hp_picks