Republicans have also seized on comments Sotomayor made at a Duke University School of Law panel four years ago, saying these remarks show she is a liberal activist. Some critics say the judges ignored constitutional issues in that case. Sotomayor and two other judges ruled against white firefighters who argued they were passed over for promotion because of their race. She graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University in 1976 and from Yale Law School in 1979, climbing her way up the judicial ranks, a far cry from her humble beginnings.Ĭonservatives are also taking aim at Sotomayor's recent decision in a reverse discrimination case. Sotomayor was raised in a public housing project by her mother, a nurse, after her father died when she was 9. You want richness and diversity on the Supreme Court," Carville said. Democratic strategist James Carville cited Justice Clarence Thomas, who like Sotomayor also has a rags-to-riches story, and has often discussed how his life experiences have shaped him. ![]() because she's a Latina, not a white male, that statement by definition is racist." "Saying that someone would decide a case differently. "It does a disservice to minorities - to women and minorities - that we are supposed to be empathizing for," Coulter said on "Good Morning America" today. what number they graduated in their class at Princeton, but my sense is it's not second."Ĭonservative pundit Coulter echoed Gingrich's sentiment on "Good Morning America" today, although she called only Sotomayor's words racist and did not specifically call for her to withdraw. I'm not entirely sure where people that make that argument. And I think that's what every Supreme Court and every judicial nominee deserves."Ĭalling Sotomayor highly qualified and of keen intellect, Gibbs added: "I've heard a lot of people in the last couple of days. take a backseat to common sense and open-minded decisions based on a full examination of the record. "I think when people get a chance to look at her record, I feel certain that partisan politics will. that they'll come to the same conclusion that the president did," Gibbs said. "I think we're satisfied that, when the people of America and the people of the Senate get a chance to look at more than just the blog of a former lawmaker. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs advised that people involved in the debate should be careful with their language. But I accept there will be some based on my gender and my Latina heritage." I simply do not know exactly what that difference will be in my judging. My hope is that I will take the good from my experiences and extrapolate them further into areas with which I am unfamiliar. Personal experiences affect the facts that judges choose to see. "Hence, one must accept the proposition that a difference there will be by the presence of women and people of color on the bench. Other simply do not care," Sotomayor said in 2001. For others, their experiences limit their ability to understand the experiences of others. ![]() "To understand takes time and effort, something that not all people are willing to give. Sotomayor attempted to explain her stance during that 2001 Berkeley lecture. ![]() Latina woman racist should also withdraw," Gingrich wrote. "White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. On Wednesday afternoon, Gingrich wrote on Twitter: "Imagine a judicial nominee said 'my experience as a white man makes me better than a Latina woman' new racism is no better than old racism." Referring to former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's saying that "a wise old man and wise old woman will reach the same conclusion in deciding cases," Sotomayor said, "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." The accusations are aimed at comments Sotomayor made during a 2001 lecture at the University of California-Berkeley. Gingrich today joined the chorus of conservatives such as Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh, who called Sotomayor a "reverse racist." May 27, 2009— - Just a day after President Obama announced he was nominating appellate court judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, the battle over her confirmation has begun with former House speaker Newt Gingrich branding her a racist and saying she should withdraw.
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