Posts Tagged ‘senate judiciary committee’
And, they’re off: Sotomayor confirmation hearings
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?
