Sotomayor’s Rulings Contradict Conservative Charges

While many conservatives immediately attacked Sonia Sotomayor after she was nominated for a seat on the Supreme Court, another review of her cases shows that the usual conservative lines do not apply to her. A review in The Washington Post showed that her decisions tended to be nonideolgical, relying far more on legal precedent than her personal views. Despite the judicial restraint seen in her decisions, it is probably that conservatives will continue to raise charges of judicial activism, even if the facts contradict such charges.

While conservatives have taken a single statement out of context to claim that she was a racist, other interviews with Sotomayor contract this charge:

In a less-publicized 2001 interview, Sotomayor said she tries to separate her Puerto Rican heritage from her judging. “It is very important when you judge to recognize that you have to stay impartial,” she said in a video for a program on Latinos and the law. “I have to unhook myself from my emotional responses and try to stay within my unemotional objective persona. That process can be very weighty at times.”

2 Comments

  1. 1
    Mike says:

    One small correction…conservatives have taken a single statement out of context… should be conservatives have taken two statementsout of context.  The 1994 “…wise woman…better conclusion.”  and the 2001 “…wise Latina woman…better than white male…”  This is a very small point as the number of times a statement is said by someone is illrelevant, the statement is always out of context.  My only point is that conservatives are claiming she is on record for saying two very similar statements, not a single one.

  2. 2
    News Reference says:

    Wait, you mean evidence contradicts the right wingers charges?

    Whowouldathunkit!?

    Oh, right, anyone that was paying attention and had a shred of honesty.

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