Advice to Republican Senators on Sotomayor Nomination

This morning President Barack Obama announced U.S. appeals court Judge Sonia Sotomayor of New York as his nominee for appointment to the Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice David Souter. Preciously, ARRA News posted comments and a video about her potential nomination and prior legal position. Regardless Judge Sotomayor appears to be more centrist than many of the potential nominees which Obama passed over and Sotomayor also has an early background working to put criminals in jail. Today, her comments were endearing especially her deference to her extended family and especially her mother and her step-father.

Judge Sonia Sotomayor will most likely be easily confirmed. Regardless of this fact, a dialog is still needed in the confirmation process to clarify issues and facts. It is obvious that the liberal Democrats will not lead in the efforts to clarify except possibly to potentially embarrass Judge Sotomayor because of Obama's passed over their choices for the nomination. It will be for the Republican Senators to do due diligence in the confirmation process. Already comments are surfacing that Senate Republicans should lay down and rollover because if they don't then Republican Party will lose the future vote of the Latino community. These type comments from the liberal media are beyond credibility, and the making race or gender an issue again denigrates both the nominee and the process. Discussions on past performance and past decisions are another matter. For example, Sotomyor has made a public statement that she believes more in the power of judges to make policy than the U.S. Constitution [See video].

K. Ryan James offers the following advice to Republican Senators:

Memo to Senate Republicans - Don’t go wobbly on Sotomayor: My response, and message to Senate Republicans, is don’t be intimidated about her ethnic identity and attack her with her “erroneous” ruling on copyright law where she stuck it to free-lance writers (which was overturned at the appellate and Supreme courts) and her belief that policy is made in appellate court.

If the actual facts still don’t embolden you to kowtow and rubber stamp Barack Obama’s nomination, please let us turn back the page and focus on the Democrat reactions to the nominations to Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General, and Miguel Estrada to the DC Court of Appeal. . . .

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell issued the following statement regarding the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor:

Senate Republicans will treat Judge Sotomayor fairly. But we will thoroughly examine her record to ensure she understands that the role of a jurist in our democracy is to apply the law even-handedly, despite their own feelings or personal or political preferences.

Our Democratic colleagues have often remarked that the Senate is not a ‘rubber stamp.’ Accordingly, we trust they will ensure there is adequate time to prepare for this nomination, and a full and fair opportunity to question the nominee and debate her qualifications.

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