Sotomayor meets senators who will decide fate
Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor June 2, 2009 02:11 PM
Judge Sonia Sotomayor this morning began the gauntlet otherwise known as courtesy calls on senators who will decide whether she joins the Supreme Court.
And Democrats are coming to Sotomayor's defense after a week of criticism from conservatives, particularly on her views on race.
After meeting her, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, told reporters that Sotomayor had reassured him about her 2001 comment that a wise Latina could often reach a better judgment than a white male judge.
Leahy said that while Sotomayor said personal experiences shape who you are, "ultimately and completely" -- the senator repeated that she used those words -- as a judge you follow the law.
There's not one law for one race and another for another and not a different law for the rich rather than the poor, Leahy said she told him.
Asked when the committee will start confirmation hearings, Leahy said the "vicious attacks" on Sotomayor by some Republicans "motivate me to go sooner rather than later."
He referred to conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh comparing Sotomayor to ex-Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
The only forum for Sotomayor to respond to "totally false" charges, Leahy said, is during the hearings.
Before his session, Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the ranking Republican on the committee, promised Sotomayor "a respectful hearing."
"I think you'll enjoy it," he said, sitting across from her and reporters recording every word.
After their meeting, Sessions said he talked to Sotomayor about her personal background and the influence of that on her as a judge. He declined to discuss details.
He also said they discussed legal theories that critics say lead to judicial activism, and he said she responded in "an effective way," but said they did not discuss her rulings in any detail.
Sessions said he was "very impressed" with her experience and knowledge.
Asked about the timing of hearings, Sessions said it would not be "irresponsible" to wait on hearings and suggested that September might be the right time because there are thousands of rulings that need to be reviewed from Sotomayor's 17 years on the federal bench. He and Leahy plan to talk Wednesday about the hearings, and whether they would come before the August recess, as President Obama wants.
"I don't think it's good to rush this nomination," the senator said.
Sessions did say that some of the language being used is too harsh, but pointed out that it is coming from those who are not elected Republicans.
UPDATE: Senator Jon Kyl, an Arizona Republican, told reporters that Republicans "need to hold our fire" until they further examine her decisions.
But he laid into President Obama, noting that when he voted against President George W. Bush's nominations of Samuel Alito and John Roberts, Obama said that judges almost unanimously agree on 95 percent of cases so it's the last five percent where there is no precedent that are at issue.
Kyl faulted Obama emphasis on empathy, what the senator described as "looking out for the little guy."
"That's wrong," Kyl said. "His test is wrong."
It's up to state and federal lawmakers to make such public policy decisions to favor the needy, he said.
Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, said he voted against her elevation to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals because he was concerned she would be an activist judge, but said he wouldn't necessarily vote against her nomination.
"That was then and this is now," he told reporters. "I'm willing to look at this nomination afresh."
She huddled first with Harry Reid, the top Democrat in the Senate, who stressed her Horatio Alger story as daughter of a single mom who rose from the Bronx to Princeton and Yale and the federal bench. If confirmed, she would be the first Hispanic on the high court, but her comments on how her background informs her work have been seized on by Republicans.
"We have the whole package here," Reid told reporters before their private session. "Academically, I mean, I am terribly impressed. Princeton, summa cum laude. We have Yale Law School, editor of the law review. That's very impressive.
"But if that weren't enough, her background is very significant," he added. "I think that your life story is so compelling, that America identifies with the underdog. And you've been an underdog many times in your life."
Also, another national poll shows support for Sotomayor, though many Americans don't know enough about her yet to have an opinion.
The Associated Press-GfK survey released today does give her a more favorable first impression that former President George W. Bush's nominees to the high court.
The poll found that about a third of respondents have a favorable view of Sotomayor, while 18 percent view her unfavorably. Half of those polled say she should be confirmed, while 22 percent oppose her confirmation.
Source:http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2009/06/sotomayor_meets.html