NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor says her nomination process was so tightly scripted that even her clothes were chosen for her.
Sotomayor made the comments when she appeared at her 30th Yale Law School reunion on Saturday.
The New Haven Register reports that Sotomayor spoke to 1,800 alumni, students and faculty, describing her recent grueling nomination process.
State Sen. Ed Meyer was among those in attendance. He says Sotomayor became teary at times but kept the crowd laughing. He says Sotomayor talked about shopping for clothes to wear to her acceptance ceremony. Government officials, however, told her to bring five suits and they recommended which one she should wear.
Sotomayor, the first Hispanic on the Supreme Court, attended a luncheon, coffee reception and a 30th reunion dinner with about 50 guests.NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor says her nomination process... more
A recast Supreme Court kicked off its new season Monday, with novice Justice Sonia Sotomayor immediately taking center stage.
In just an hour, the court's newest justice asked more questions than Justice Clarence Thomas has asked over the course of several years. Sotomayor's aggressive role in a Fifth Amendment case, in turn, underscored how she could put her own stamp on a court whose 2009-2010 docket is still taking shape.
"The Supreme Court is already off to a notable start, and there is so much more to come," Caroline Fredrickson, the executive director of the American Constitution Society, a liberal lawyers organization, said even before inaugural oral argument Monday.
The 55-plus cases already scheduled for the coming months cover everything from gun rights and patent protection to free speech and the punishment of juveniles. The court is likely to accept another 25 or so cases before the 2009-10 term ends next June.
As always, some cases are acutely technical; dry as dust pension disputes, for instance. Others carry constitutional significance, a compelling set of facts or sometimes both.
More @ linkA recast Supreme Court kicked off its new season Monday, with novice Justice Sonia... more
WASHINGTON — Justice Sonia Sotomayor took the judicial oath on Saturday, becoming the first Hispanic and third woman to serve on the Supreme Court in United States history.
At just past 11 a.m., Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. administered a pair of oaths to her in two private ceremonies at the Supreme Court building, completing her ascent to a life-tenured position as the nation's 111th justice, and the first to be nominated by a Democratic president since 1994.
In the first ceremony, which took place in the justice’s conference room and was attended only by her relatives and a court photographer, she took the standard oath affirmed by all federal employees, swearing to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."
She and the chief justice then walked to the court’s East Conference Room for the judicial oath, in which she stood before about 60 friends and family members and swore to "administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me" under the Constitution and laws of the United States.WASHINGTON — Justice Sonia Sotomayor took the judicial oath on Saturday, becoming... more
Senate confirms Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination, 68-31, making her the first Hispanic on the high court.Senate confirms Judge Sonia Sotomayor's Supreme Court nomination, 68-31, making her... more
As a native Hawaiian who has not been represented by the Senators who are trying to pass the Akaka Bill, (S.1011,) my immediate family and I urge you to vote NO to that insidious bill.
When the bill was first proposed, a hearing was held in Honolulu and the testimony was overwhelming against it for a variety of reasons. Because of that, hearings on the neighbor islands were cancelled.
We want to ratify or reject that bill before it is taken to your committee.
Our voices have been purposely shunned by these snollygosters who prefer to dictate to us rather than represent us. These small interest elites are an abhorrence to the democratic system and might be in it for personal pecuniary interests rather than defend the concerns of those most affected by it.
There are issues to be resolved even before considering the actions they are proposing. We vehemently reject this bill and conditions it wants to set up for us. Our concerns, circumstances, the situation that confronts it, need to be addressed first.
There are legal international ramifications that must be settled and abided by; such as violations of the laws of occupation, neutrality, and the lack of a lawful treaty of annexation/cession which the US is unable to present. The multi-ethnic Hawaii nationals overwhelmingly voted against cession to the USA in 1897 and we support their choice.
We love our country as much as the US Americans love theirs.
There is a political and moral thing to do and that is vote NO on S.1011.
Mahalo,
Tane
Pearl City, O`ahuAs a native Hawaiian who has not been represented by the Senators who are trying to... more
WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Judd Gregg says he'll vote for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, breaking with most of his fellow Republicans.
The New Hampshire senator says that he may not agree with Sotomayor on all issues or share her political ideology but that she's obviously well-qualified to be a justice. He becomes the eighth Republican to publicly announce he will support President Barack Obama's first high court nominee.
Nearly three-quarters of the Senate's Republicans have said they'll vote against Sotomayor, including all but one of the party's leaders. But with no Democrats expected to oppose her, she has more than enough support to be easily confirmed in a vote expected as early as Thursday.WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Judd Gregg says he'll vote for Supreme Court nominee... more
Barack Obama's first supreme court nominee may face opposition from Republicans.
Sonia Sotomayor is expected to advance a step further toward taking a seat as America's first Hispanic supreme court justice today, when a Senate panel votes on whether to confirm her nomination.
Sotomayor, a New York federal judge, is expected to win the vote in the Senate judiciary committee, which would then forward her nomination to the full Senate. All 12 Democrats on the panel are expected to back her. Most of the seven Republicans have said they will oppose her nomination.
Sotomayor is President Barack Obama's first supreme court nominee. If confirmed she will replace David Souter, a liberal justice, and federal court watchers say she is unlikely radically to alter the court's ideological makeup.Barack Obama's first supreme court nominee may face opposition from Republicans.... more
WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham says he’ll vote for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor breaking with his party’s conservative leaders. The South Carolinian had hinted during Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings that he might back President Barack Obama’s first high court nominee.
His announcement brings the total number of Republicans publicly backing her to five. Graham is generally conservative but has been known to flash a
maverick streak similar to his mentor, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
The other Republicans who’ve said they’ll vote for Sotomayor, who would be the first Hispanic justice, are all moderates. The 55-year-old appeals court judge is expected to win confirmation in early August.AP
Published: July 22, 2009
WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham says... more
Jeffrey Deskovic served 16 years in prison for a murder and rape he did not commit. At the age of 16, he was arrested based upon a coerced false confession obtained from a police interrogation that lasted for over seven hours. Despite the presence of strong DNA evidence that proved his innocence, a coerced confession, and proof of prosecutorial misconduct, Deskovic could not get his sentence overturned, even when he had the supposed "empathetic" ear of Sonia Sotomayor.
His case highlights some startling flaws in the US court and prison system, and a potential weakness in Sotomayor's judicial style: her history of preferring procedure over innocence. Deskovic's failed attempts to offer his testimony at Sotomayor's confirmation hearing also illustrate the politicization of the process in which Democratic Senators may be suppressing his testimony in order to provide smooth transition for Sotomayor to ascend to the Supreme Court.
It all started when the police took a 16-year-old Deskovic out of school and drove him out of county in order to interrogate him about his supposed involvement in the murder/rape, Deskovic explained to me during our phone interview. His parents had no idea he was in police custody. Deskovic was kept in a small room for over seven hours where he was hooked up to a polygraph machine and repeatedly threatened by the police.
I wasn't given anything to eat the entire time I was there... The police played good cop-bad cop. They used all kinds of scare tactics: they raised their voices at me, they invaded my personal space. As each hour passed by, my fear increased in proportion to the time I was there. Towards the end, the polygrapher said to me, "What do you mean you didn't do it? You just told us in the test that you did. We just want you to verbally confirm it."
The polygrapher was lying, but Deskovic had no way of knowing that.
At that point, the officer who was pretending to be my friend entered the room, and he told me the other officers were going to harm me, and that he was holding them off, but that he couldn't do so indefinitely. He said I had to help myself, and he added that if I did as they wanted, not only would they stop what they were doing, but that I could go home afterwards. I was being young - naïve - you know, 16-years-old, not thinking about the long-term implications, but instead being concerned with my own personal safety - I took the out that was being offered, and I made up a story based upon the information they fed me during the course of the investigation.
He was convicted despite a negative DNA test that showed that semen found in the victim did not match Deskovic's sample. On the day of his sentencing, Deskovic referred to the DNA test. The judge responded (on record): "Maybe you are innocent," before sentencing him instead of overturning the verdict. Deskovic tried to appeal this decision several times. First, he appealed to the Appellate Division where his request was denied. He then went to the Court of Appeals, New York State's highest court, which also refused to hear his case. Deskovic then filed a Habeas Corpus petition in the federal court, arguing that DNA evidence proved his innocence and his confession was coerced, which violated his Fifth Amendment rights. Some confusion emerged due to new guidelines stated by the 1996 Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act that changed the deadline for petitions. Deskovic's attorney asked a court clerk if the petition had to be filed by the cut-off date, or if it could be postmarked. The clerk said it could be postmarked, which was false. Deskovic's petition arrived four days too late.
[Allison is progressive journalist with Huffington Post, and Citizen Radio, read the full article at link]Jeffrey Deskovic served 16 years in prison for a murder and rape he did not commit. At... more
Obama's pick for Supreme Court Justice, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, briefly discussed marijuana growing and privacy rights at her confirmation hearings.
In an exchange about the constitutional right to privacy with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), the discussion -- naturally -- devolves into pot use.
But Sotomayor puts to rest any questions about her own interest in the matter: "I’m not an expert in marijuana growing."Obama's pick for Supreme Court Justice, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, briefly discussed... more
Firefighters testify, but not everyone's listening
Thur Jul 16, 3:15 pm ET
Not everyone showed up to hear the Republicans' star witness testify: the firefighter at the center of a controversial reverse-discrimination case much-discussed during Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing.
Frank Ricci told his story -- but he didn't mention Sotomayor by name in his statement. He did say the case at hand was not about his dyslexia, but about fairness. "The more attention our case got, the more some people tried to distort it," Ricci said. "We sought basic fairness and even-handed enforcement of the laws, something all Americans believe in."
Ben Vargas, another firefighter, also testified the focus of the case should have been on what he did to deserve a promotion. He said: "The focus should not have been on me being Hispanic."
Only the following senators heard their statements -- Ben Cardin of Maryland, Chairman Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Richard Durbin of Illinois, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania for the Democrats; Jeff Sessions of Alabama, Orrin Hatch of Utah, John Cornyn of Texas, and Lindsey Graham for the Republicans. Only Leahy appeared to be reading, the rest listened intently.
The two firefighters filed a reverse discrimination suit that Sotomayor joined in dismissing. The Supreme Court reversed that decision last month. The case has proved a leading cause for conservatives opposed to Sotomayor. The judge's critics have criticized her for dismissing the firefighters' arguments without a hearing. They were trying to win promotions they said they earned on an examination that the city administered.Firefighters testify, but not everyone's listening
Thur Jul 16, 3:15 pm ET
Not... more
If there's one thing that this week's Senate confirmation hearings made clear, it's that Judge Sotomayor is not just a great mind, but a patient and generous teacher. Surrounded by senators who seemed primarily concerned with topping each other in condescension, Sotomayor responded with respect, nuance and a solid grounding in the law - to the point where the hearings sometimes felt like a high school civics class, with Sotomayor explaining the fundamentals of our legal system. The biggest surprises of the hearings so far haven't come from Sotomayor herself, but from the ignorance and arrogance shown by some members of the GOP. And the biggest pay-off won't just be from Sotomayor's confirmation - although that will certainly happen - but from the GOP's torching of any goodwill it hasn't already set aflame with women and racial minorities.If there's one thing that this week's Senate confirmation hearings made clear, it's... more
Hm, his shirt says "PLEASE." Please what? Please teach me how to not be an ass? Please help me out of this grave I'm digging? Please kick me in the nuts?
Currentians - what do YOU think David Arquette is requesting so politely?Hm, his shirt says "PLEASE." Please what? Please teach me how to not be an ass? Please... more
Sonia Sotomayor affirmed during Tuesday's Senate hearing that Roe v. Wade is "settled law" -- but that doesn't settle nervous speculation about the Supreme Court nominee's stance on abortion. "Settled law" is the buzz-phrase often used by Roe supporters who view that ruling as a "super-precedent that has survived long enough without major challenge that it shouldn't be reconsidered," according to the Associated Press. That would seem a pretty strong and encouraging endorsement of Roe. However, as MSNBC points out, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, a George W. Bush nominee, also said that Roe was "settled law" during his 2005 confirmation -- only, he went on to add that the court was not obligated to uphold it.
This small reassurance from Sotomayor might not satisfy pro-choicers, but I suspect it's all we're going to get.Sonia Sotomayor affirmed during Tuesday's Senate hearing that Roe v. Wade is "settled... more
One comment in a speech is the only thing Republicans have against the most experienced judge to appear in front of the US Senate for Supreme Court Confirmation in three generations.
do you think she will get confirmed?This is getting out of hand!
One comment in a speech is the only thing Republicans... more
Senate Republicans plan to confront Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor with her own words, taken from speeches dating back 15 years, as they try to raise doubts about her ability to judge fairly.Senate Republicans plan to confront Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor with her own... more
Akron police say they aren't ready to call it a hate crime or a gang initiation.
But to Marty Marshall, his wife and two kids, it seems pretty clear.
It came after a family night of celebrating America and freedom with a fireworks show at Firestone Stadium. Marshall, his family and two friends were gathered outside a friend's home in South Akron.
Out of nowhere, the six were attacked by dozens of teenage boys, who shouted ''This is our world'' and ''This is a black world'' as they confronted Marshall and his family.
...
It's interesting to note, that if this had been a group of 50 white kids yelling white supremacist slogans, it would have been a "hate crime" right off the bat.
But if Blacks attack whites, well, I guess the police just want to think it was some rowdy kids.
When I was a teacher in an inner urban school with a magnet program to lure affluent whites back to the city school, it became a gang initiation to beat up a white kid. The poor kids were terrorized. The black kids tend to mature physically much sooner than the white kids and were considerably larger than the white kids. Most of the teen black boys at 14 were much MUCH taller than I was, from 6' 190 lbs on. So they had the size to easily beat down the little white kids. Fortunately, we had a MASSIVE black principal who had played pro-football and he took a hardline stance against this, but in another school where I worked, we had a racist black principal who defended his black kids and openly disparaged all the whites, from teachers to parents and students.
The government has a double standard and doesn't appear to care about whites, and this is going to be the future in America with Barack Obama, ACORN, NAACP, Revs Sharpton and Jackson, and Sonia Sotomayor pushing for preference for blacks.
We're on our own out here, folks. Buy a gun, defend your families.Akron police say they aren't ready to call it a hate crime or a gang initiation.... more
How did Judge Sotomayor earn $3,773,824 since 1988 + receive $381,775 in loans = $4,155,599 + her 1976-1987 earnings, yet disclose assets worth only $543,903 in her answers to the Questionnaire of the Senate Judiciary Committee?
The Senate Judiciary Committee required Justice Nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor to “Provide a complete, current financial net worth statement which itemizes in detail all assets [and] all liabilities”.1 Judge Sotomayor was also under an independent duty under the Ethics in Government Act to file “full and complete” annual financial disclosure reports.2 Her discharge of such obligations or failure to do so reflects her respect or lack thereof for the law applicable to her and thus, the law that she applies to others and the quality of justice that she dispenses to them. Hence, examining her handling of such obligations is warranted by the need to ascertain her personal and judicial integrity.
The following table and its endnotes show that Judge Sotomayor failed to disclose the whereabouts of her earnings, as summarized in the title above. Money does not simply disappear.3 It is either spent, donated, or saved.4 To some extent, how a person spends money can be determined from her appearance and public conduct. How she saves it, e.g., by investing it, requires mostly disclosure or subpoenas5. Failure to disclose financial information when under a duty to do so is a violation of the law. Nondisclosure by a bankruptcy petitioner constitutes concealment of assets and perjury. It is a crime punishable by up to 20 years imprisonment and a fine of up to $500,000.How did Judge Sotomayor earn $3,773,824 since 1988 + receive $381,775 in loans =... more
Headline: “Supreme Court rules for white firefighters in bias case”
“A sharply divided Supreme Court ruled Monday that the city of New Haven, Conn., discriminated against white firefighters, repudiating a key decision by court nominee Sonia Sotomayor.”
The Supreme Court Decision (read it here) is a victory for the White firefighters, and a resounding defeat for the Liberals whose blind support of Affirmative Action has led them to apply race-based decisions to hiring and promotions.
But I’d like to break open the story just a bit, and provide additional support to the firefighters who passed their exams, met the requirements for promotion, but were discriminated against.
The article states that the reason why the firefighters were not promoted was because "the city rejected the test results because too many white and not enough minorities would be promoted," as mentioned by Justice Kennedy. "Without some other justification, this express, race-based decision-making violates Title VII's command that employers cannot take adverse employment actions because of an individual's race."
...I contend that this explanation does not hold water. The exam result was not an aberration: it is entirely consistent with Connecticut standardized test results in public schools.
...
On the Connecticut Master Test, 4th Generation for Grade 8: 2008, only 9.4% of Whites scored at or below “basic”. 16.8% scored Proficient, and 73.8% scored “at Goal” or “Advanced”. By comparison, 42.4% of Blacks scored below “proficient”, 29.3% scored proficient, and 28.3% scored “at Goal” or “Advanced”.
It is logical to assume that only the best and brightest of firemen are expected to advance to become Chiefs. Since how they perform their duties, how well they understand the laws, rules, protocols, and procedures will directly impact the safety of their crews and the public they serve, there are lives on the line. So it is also logical to assume that a great deal of the material they must master is not just firefighting methods that can be learned on the job, but also book learning that must be mastered through study. It is therefore not only conceivable, but quite logical, that a firefighter who is exceptional at a fire may not have “the right stuff” to be a chief. The individuals one would want to become a fire chief would belong to the groups that, when students, would have met or excelled at the goal scores.
The Connecticut state scores indicate that Whites excel academically at a rate greater than twice that of Blacks. If you combine “Proficient” with the “Goal and Advanced” categories, the gap narrows slightly, but still only 57.6% of Blacks scored Proficient and above combined, compared to 90.6% of Whites. (80.7% of Hispanics scored Proficient and above combined)
So, New Haven developed a written test to determine the extent of mastery of these subjects, but then balked at the results of the tests. According to the article: “The African American pass rate on the written exam was roughly half that of white applicants. …None of the top 19 scorers in the competition for captain's and lieutenant's positions were African American.”
Why is that a surprise? The test results for African Americans on the firefighter’s exam were wholly consistent with the scores of African Americans on state educational standardized tests.
...Headline: “Supreme Court rules for white firefighters in bias case”
“A... more
