NEW YORK—The confirmation hearings of U.S. Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor began on Monday. If approved by the Senate, she will become the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice.
The South Bronx-born 55-year-old Sotomayor spoke before the Senate Judiciary Committee, stating her judicial philosophy.
“In the past month, many senators have asked me about my judicial philosophy,” Sotomayor said. “It is simple: fidelity to the law.”
“The task of a judge is not to make the law—it is to apply the law. … My personal and professional experiences help me listen and understand, with the law always commanding the result in every case,” Sotomayor said.
After spending 17 years as a federal judge, the Ivy League-graduate Sotomayor said that she has been serving the “larger interest of impartial justice,” rather than an individual cause.
Earlier in May, President Barack Obama nominated Sotomayor to replace retiring Justice David Souter. The nationally televised confirmation received opposing views, with Democrats in support of the nomination and Republicans in opposition.
Senator Jess Sessions (R-AL), the highest-ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, brought up a speech Sotomayor gave 15 years ago, accusing her of being prejudiced.
In the speech, Sotomayor she said, “I willingly accept that we who judge must not deny the differences resulting from experience and heritage but attempt … continuously to judge when those opinions, sympathies, and prejudices are appropriate . . . My experiences will affect the facts I choose to see as a judge.”
“Having tried cases for many years, these statements are shocking and offensive to me,” said Sessions.
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) said, “From what she has said, she appears to believe that her role is not constrained to objectively decide who wins based on the weight of the law but who, in her opinion, should win.
“The factors that will influence her decisions apparently include her gender and Latina heritage and foreign legal concepts that get her creative juices going,” he said.
Kyl also noted Sotomayor’s now-famous 2001 remark, where she said being a “wise Latina” might give her advantages over white males. Kyl questioned her objectivity as her “gender and Latina heritage” may affect her.
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), chairman of Judiciary Committee, said that based on his review of her judiciary record, “She is a careful and restrained judge with a deep respect for judicial precedent and for the powers of the other branches of the government, including the law-making role of Congress.”
“Unfortunately, some have sought to twist her words and her record and to engage in partisan political attacks,” Leahy said. “Ideological pressure groups have attacked her before the president had even made his selection.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) was the first Republican to make conciliatory remarks toward Sotomayor.
“Unless you have a complete meltdown, you are going to be confirmed,” Graham said.
Sotomayor will return on July 14 to answer questions from committee members.
Friends Read Free