Women and Politics

Welcome to the first day of the Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearing races. Looking out at the track, it looks like they’re trying to round up a few anti-choice protesters. The Senators have reached the gate, they’re at the post. And…they’re off!

First out of the gate is Senate Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy, praising Sotomayor as an extraordinary woman and citing past hurdles of other minority nominees. He calls her a “justice for all America” and adds, “let no one demean this extraordinary woman.”

And now coming up quickly on the outside, Jeff Sessions (R-AL) opens up the Republican arguments against Sotomayor. We’re not seeing any new tricks here: he pulls out the empathy, “wise Latina,” and prejudice cards.

As we round the bend, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) calls Sotomayor a special woman who has overcome adversity, but is cut off by an anti-choice protester! Patrick Leahy takes swift action and has them removed.

Coming into the final stretch, we’ve got two Republicans neck and neck: Charles Grassley of Iowa and Jon Kyl from Arizona, once again citing Obama’s so-called “empathy standard.”

And coming up on the inside, Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) fires back against the “judicial activist” argument, saying:

The term “activist” is only a “code word” they use to seek judges who will rule in ways they want. Says John Roberts and other “right-wing” judges are the ones who have disregarded precedent in making political rulings that always favor prosecutors and business interests.

And as the Senators cross the finish line of this first race, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) is interrupted by another anti-choice protester, but states that the court must take real life into account. He crosses the finish line and calls recent rulings “a triumph of ideology over common sense,” citing conservatives supporting strip-searches of high school girls.

The hearing now breaks for lunch, but stay tuned as this exciting week at the Sotomayor confirmation hearing races continues. Will Sonia Sotomayor receive the fair hearings that many have called for? Or will the opposition continue to use sexist and racist arguments against this experienced nominee?

And when did empathy become a bad word?

My heart is filled with pride today. President Obama has nominated a Latina to be the next Supreme Court Justice: Sonia Sotomayor.

When Justice David Souter announced his retirement, WCF asked our supporters to take action and urge Obama to choose a woman replacement. You raised your voices, and he listened.

President Obama’s decision to nominate Sonia Sotomayor to our highest court is an important victory for women and our country. Sotomayor will bring essential experience, perspective, and integrity to the Supreme Court.

Read WCF’s full statement on Sotomayor’s nomination on our website.

Looking at a picture of the current Court - with Ruth Bader Ginsburg serving as the only woman - it’s clear that women severely lack equality in public office. It is essential for the long-term health of our nation that women possess an equal voice in all branches of our government, and the confirmation of Sotomayor will be an important step toward this goal.

I couldn’t be happier that President Obama is taking yet another stride toward achieving gender equality in our government. Thank you for helping us make this happen - I look forward to making many future strides for women and our country together.