Sotomayor: The GOP's fine line
Posted: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 9:18 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
Courts, Republicans
"Senate Republicans on Tuesday unveiled a new narrative ahead of Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings, questioning her commitment to constitutional guarantees on the right to keep and bear arms and equal treatment under the law regardless of race or gender," the
AP writes.
"The senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee even questioned whether Sotomayor sufficiently opposes terrorism, citing what he said was the 'extensive work' she had done for a group formerly named the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund. 'This is a group that has taken some very shocking positions with respect to terrorism,' Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama said."
Roll Call: "In a series of Senate floor speeches, Republicans leveled their harshest criticism of Sotomayor to date, accusing the federal judge and President Barack Obama of espousing a view of the judiciary based on empathy that is little more than racial or gender prejudice."
More from Jeff Sessions:
“When there is empathy toward one, is it not prejudice toward the other? There are always litigants on the other side, and they deserve to have their cases decided on the law. ... What I’ve seen thus far in Judge Sotomayor’s record -- and presumably some of her views are the reason President Obama selected her -- cause me concern that the nominee will look outside the law and the evidence in judging and that her policy preferences could influence her decision-making."
Mitch McConnell
“"
called Sotomayor’s empathy 'troubling.' "Judge Sotomayor’s writings offer a window into what she believes having empathy for certain groups means when it comes to judging. And I believe that once Americans come to appreciate the real-world consequences of this view, they’ll find the empathy standard extremely troubling as a criterion for selecting men and women for the federal bench,” he said.
