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Sotomayor nomination met with mixed reactions

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Wednesday that he does not anticipate a filibuster against US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Sessions addressed the Judiciary Committee's process, stressing the importance of Sotomayor understanding that "the proper role of a judge is to act as a neutral umpire of the law, calling balls and strikes fairly without regard to one's own personal preferences or political views." The president of the American Tort Reform Association (ATRA) expressed some concerns over Sotomayor's nomination and her "apparent embrace" of regulation through litigation. The ATRA pointed to remarks made by Sotomayor several years ago in which she said that "it is the court of appeals where policy is made," and called for a thorough discussion of the judiciary's role in formulating policy. The National Senior Citizens Law Center applauded the nomination, stating that Sotomayor's record shows that she will be a strong voice for enforcing safeguards for older Americans. American United, proponents of separation of church and state, stated that the Senate Judiciary Committee has an obligation to question Sotomayor thoroughly on her views of church and state separation because she has not written extensively on the issues. US President Barack Obama announced Sotomayor as his nomination for the Court on Tuesday. If she receives Senate majority approval, Sotomayor, currently a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, would replace Justice David Souter when he retires at the end of the current term. She would be the first Latino and the third woman to serve on the Court. Earlier this month, Senate Republicans expressed their interests in having a Supreme Court nominee who would impartially apply the law.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on May 27, 2009 (boomark / email).