Subscribe to Breaking News
Loading ...Video: Sotomayor on gay marriage
Sonia Sotomayor was asked by Sen. Lindsey Graham today about how the Full Faith and Credit Clause will affect “who should get married and what the boundaries are for marriage.”
Then Sen. John Cornyn jumped in: “If the Supreme Court in the next few years holds that there is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, would that be making the law or interpreting the law?”
Sotomayor’s answer?She’ll keep an open mind.
Watch it here.
Read HRC’s analysis.
From USA Today:
The most attention-grabbing case of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s began when a Connecticut city rejected the results of a firefighter-promotion test because whites outscored blacks and Hispanics.
In the case, likely to be a hot-button issue at her confirmation hearings, city officials said they tossed the 2003 test results fearing bias lawsuits from minorities who did not qualify for elevation. Sotomayor endorsed New Haven’s action. The terse opinion she joined appeared to minimize the significance of the “reverse discrimination” claim from white firefighters denied promotions.
The case offers a test of overlapping anti-discrimination laws, as well as of how judges handle incendiary disputes over racial policies. Federal law bars both intentional discrimination and indirect bias from seemingly neutral exams that disproportionately hurt women or minorities.
Six of Sotomayor’s appeals court colleagues who urged further review of the dispute said the Sotomayor majority was failing “to grapple with … questions of exceptional importance.”
More scathingly, since her nomination last week by President Obama, critics such as the Cato Institute’s Ilya Shapiro say the case suggests Sotomayor takes a different tack toward whites who allege bias than she does to minorities. “The lead plaintiff in this case is dyslexic,” said Shapiro, referring to Frank Ricci, a white firefighter who says he spent $1,000 on study aids for the exam. Shapiro said if anyone deserved the “empathy” Obama has said he wants in a Supreme Court jurist, it’s Ricci.
Wow Chris, that was a good 20 lines of nothing. You keep throwing vague lines against her like “a long line of decision making…” but just as her other critics, fail to give specific examples to support your case. You yourself admitted to distrusting her primarily on the fact that she is a Latina woman and in your eyes, well, they can’t be trusted. Only a white male can get away with admitting to racism and still get away with playing the self-righteous , I’m better than thou card. If you put your prejudices against women and Hispanics aside and actually bothered to take a close look at her record, you’d find it to be rather impartial.
“Precedent” does not prevent someone from making their own decision, nor does being in the “MAJORITY” make someone correct.
Moreover, that really isn’t the main issue most are concerned with – her racist “Wise Latina” remarks are…
BrianMN:
You are of course aware that legal precident, which she and the MAJORITY on the Second Circuit cited in their opinion, was already in place regarding such matters as workplace advancement, right? Right??
Apparently not. But that’s ok, once you read her record and the actual case documents instead of parroting our Republican friends, you can make a much more informed decision.
Pablo, sweetie – you just keep telling yourself that.
Oh, and do I want her? No. But she’ll get in anyway and its unknowable at present whether that’ll be a good or bad thing. A lesbian of any race would have been my preferred choice.
I don’t think you should use the firefighter case to say she’s racist or not. Look at how the Supreme Court split on that decision so it plainly isn’t just black and white. and on this site:
http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2009/05/26/why-sotomayor-is-such-a-good-pick.aspx
^if you look at that site and the comments then you can see that it what the case was attacking and why it wasn’t a racist decision on her part.
Another point to bring up though is also the test questions themselves. I tried to see if they were stacked against the colored firefighters and I don’t think that was the case, I can’t find a sample exam from that test itself, but I found practice tests and it seemed more like the ACT/SAT’s than anything.
My major concern is her comment about the wise latina women. It was a bit sexists and racists. I understand where she is coming from but it narrow minded to think that people can’t be more understanding than that.
And not all Catholics hate gays.
Let’s face it – she screwed up – multiple times. Her arrogant remarks about being a “wise Latina” have now put her in the sad sceanrio of having to lie about her intent. Her remarks are not open to reinterpretation – to imply otherwise is to insult the intelligence of the listener. Her firefighter decision merely continued a line of decision making based upon her own personal beliefs and if it weren’t for the fact that besides these two blatant screw ups – she’s a decent candidate on the overall. But doubts about her objectivity are most CERTAINLY deserved -this is too important a position to give to anyone with a personal ax to grind. God help Obama if she turns out to be anti-gay. Overall, do I trust her? Not especially – she’s already lying as we speak to cover her ass and get a coveted job. It’s tempting to fault her if I were an idealist, but anyone else would do the same thing, so I accept it – or in her own words “I’ll keep an open mind”. Whether or not she’ll make a good judge or not, these days, is purely subjective – is she sides with your views, you’ll like her… if she doesn’t – you won’t.
Her ruling on the fire fighter case is a prime example of judicial restraint. She followed the law which is what she is required to do. If you actually bother to take a close look at her record, you’ll find she has a very impartial record. And Chris, every possible stereotype can be defended behind the ‘my own life experiences’ argument. For you to affirm your dislike of her simply based on a ‘general distrust of Latin women’ is to admit you’re just as racist as any other homophobic, racist southern senator.
I’m siding with Chris here.
I already brought this up under a different article.
Her ruling on the fire fighter case is a prime example of her blatant racism.
She is no friend to white americans and I highly doubt she gives a crap about gays either.
She’ll do whatever she has to do to further hew own career.
And her “wise Latina” remark is nothing but the worst kind of arrogance.
This is an interesting situation for gays.
She obviously doensn’t like whites.
What if she is gay friendly?
Do we stand with her based on that or do we stand against her based on race.
I’m choosing the latter.
She’s bad news.
That and her ties with La Raza should have eliminated her right there.
Why not elect David Duke.
Same damn thing.
Her OWN WORDS and my own life experiences are what I base my opinions on. You can call them racist if you like – that only speaks to your own biases, not mine..
I think she’s great. Have you seen the grandstanding BS she has had to put up with that has nothing to do with the job? I wouldn’t care if she was a purple agnostic her career and decisions speak volumes.
I commend Sotomayor for her answer to this question. Instead of hiding behind Baker v. Nelson as precedent and trying to please conservatives, she refused to be used by Cornyn. The promise to approach issues with an open mind is what I believe is the most that we can ask for our justices on the Supreme Court. Good Job, (hopefully associate justice) Sonia Sotomayor!
So, Chris, in what exactly do you base your opinion that she is a racist other than your (ironically racist) distrust of Latin women.
Sorry to say but I don’t really trust her either. I have the sinking suspicion she is a racist (anti-white). I hope I am wrong – but I’ve known a lot of Latin women in my life and virtually none of them have been pro-gay (and like Sotomayor – were catholic).
As for her “keeping an open mind” – I’d like to kick her in her sizeable ass for a statement like that. She isn’t doing us any FAVORS by doing her f’ing job.