The Supreme Court Is Short on Women, and Sotomayor's a Good Start
Fred Strebeigh speaks with U.S. News about his new book
How do you see opponents of the Sotomayor nomination attacking her?
One of the attacks will come in the area that I just pointed to: this fundamental sense that gender can make a difference in judging and her willingness to state that directly. But I believe the directness of that statement will prove to be a strength and an indicator of her honesty and her accuracy.
Critics call the choice identity politics. What do you think about this claim?
When male judges in the middle of the 20th century ruled that women should not be permitted legally to tend bar, they were making a judgment based on identity. Period. When judges in the 1970s ruled that women could be discriminated against if they were pregnant, and the discrimination was not against women but against pregnant persons, identity factored powerfully into that decision. Judges have had difficulty limiting the impact of their identity on their judging. But the inclusion of judges from a much wider range of backgrounds and life experiences will broaden understanding rather than narrow understanding in the judicial realm.
Reader Comments
Supreme Court Pick?
Yep, special interests are alive and well in 2009! The so-called Liberals (really Socialists) need a token, phony Latina to enforce their illegal re-making of America. Boy, do these "holier-than-thou" types love to put people in boxes. Guess they learned this unfair and sneaky tactic at the 'PC academy'? Also, I read that about 60% of her judicial decisions were overturned on appeal. Assuming that figure is correct, can't we do better? Of course women have been discriminated against historically, but we don't need yet another pompous lecture, we need a fair, well-rounded judge, maybe female, maybe male. If gender is the first qualification, then the whole issue is bogus!
Vote Romney-Palin 2012 because of their right wing conservatisim
In 2012 we must vote for Governor Mitt Romney to become our President starting on January 20, 2013 , and we must vote for Governor Sarah Palin to become our Vice President on January 20, 2013 bcause of their superior rightwing conservative philosophy . Their superior rightwing conservative philosophy is shown in that they are pro God and Christianity, pro life, pro marriage; pro guns-second amendment, pro low taxes, pro low government spending; pro small government, pro unintrusive government, pro traditional and Judeo Christian values; pro Bible reading and prayer in our public schools, pro Christians schools and private education , pro private and free enterprise; pro military spending, anti arms agreements with Russia, pro creation; pro nuclear, pro conservative supreme court judges, pro American sovereignty; pro capitalism, anti communist, anti socialist; conservative on immigration, and pro constitution. Barack Obama and Joe Biden are of the inferior liberal and left wing ideology in that they are against every thing that Governors Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin are for and they are for every thing that Governors Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin are against
John Warren
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