In response to questioning by Senator Cornyn, Judge Sotomayor explained that, “When parties are dissatisfied, they file for rehearing en banc“–that is, a new hearing before all the judges on the Circuit. She continued: “That’s what happened in Ricci,” the case challenging New Haven’s discrimination against white and Hispanic firefighters. … More

The reviews of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor’s testimony are coming in… and they are not good. The Washington Post’s Eva Rodrigues, who initially supported Sotomayor, wrote:  “I’m surprised and disturbed by how many times today Sonia Sotomayor has backed off of or provided less-than-convincing explanations for some of her … More

This post contains some quick takes and many quotations from the first real day of the hearings. Let’s begin with the bottom line: Judge Sonia Sotomayor did not impress, but it probably does not matter. Her goal today was to avoid slipping and saying something that could get her into … More

Judge Sonia Sotomayor announced today her admiration for Justice Benjamin Cardozo, who served for 6 years on the Supreme Court after nearly 30 on the New York Court of Appeals. Let’s hope she misspoke, as she has admitted to doing frequently in her speeches and written remarks. Cardozo, she said, … More

So said Judge Sotomaytor in response to a question by Sen. Kohl on racial discrimination and diversity. But what about Chief Justice Roberts’s elegant statement to the contrary on  racial relations and equality? “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis … More

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) is currently questioning Judge Sonia Sotomayor about her Ricci v. DeStefano decision. Yesterday at Bench Memos, Heritage fellow Robert Alt blogged about Sotomayor’s role in the case: Ed Whelan has rightly referred to Judge Sotomayor’s dismissive procedural treatment of the Ricci case—in which the panel simply … More

“Life experiences could make a difference,” said Judge Sotomayor in response to a question by Sen. Session. But, she says, “not the result.” So do they or don’t they? Sen. Sessions noted her comment that “[m]y experience affects the facts I see.” Does the Judge, he asked, stand by that … More

Sen. Leahy asked Judge Sotomayor about several of her controversial statements, including this one: Justice O’Connor has often been cited as saying that a wise old man and wise old woman will reach the same conclusion in deciding cases…. I am also not so sure that I agree with the … More