Posted by
Sev on Monday, July 20, 2009 3:07:49 AM
Sonia Sotomayor is likely going to be the next supreme court justice. How likely? In the words of Senator Graham (to Sotomayor)" Unless you have a complete meltdown, you will be confirmed". That's pretty straightforward. Do I think this? Yes we have probably met our next supreme court justice. Now what do I think? Well let's examine the pros and cons.
To start positive, their are many pros. She achieved very high marks , graduating first in her highschool class, and having straight A's in
her last two years at Princeton. Her Senior thesis had honorable mention. She graduate summa cume laude. Add this to the fact she had scholarships to both Harvard and Yale, and well you have an impressive intellectual background. Does being intellegent solely qualify you for the supreme court? Of course not, but it does help. Another Pro is she has an overall clean record as a judge with considerable legal expirience as both a judge and a prosecutor.
Now to the cons. She has had a very controversial decision in Ricci vs. DeStefano. A decision which I personally disagree with. This decision denied promotions, I believe unfairly, to firefighters in the city of New Haven. This denial was based on the fact that no African Americans qualified for the promotion. I believe this was a horrid decision and leaves a considerable stain on her otherwise practically perfect record. To deny promotions to people who worked to qualify for them, including the lead plaintiff who suffered from dyslexia and worked tirelessly to pass this test. Unfortunatlely the cons for justice Sotomayor do not end here. She has been quoted as saying " A wise latino woman with the richness of her expieriences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life". I believe she probably worded this incorrectly. Despite that this comment shows an obvious bias and also if I am interpreting it right denies that a white male could have a difficult life. Now as I said I believe she probably mispoke so I am not going to tear her to pieces on this one.
Ok their are the pros and the cons. With an informed decision I can say honestly that based on her political position I do not object to her becoming a supreme court justice. She is replacing a liberal jusctice (David Souter) so a liberal justice is to be expected. Based on her qualifications we are receiving a very intellegent one. Now on her racial beliefs. I don't think she is honestly racist I believe she just mispoke and made a very bad decision, we all do at some point. Despite this whether she is indeed considerably racially biased is a legitimate question and it deserves answering. If the anser is no Sonia Sotomayor is not biased then welcome justice to the Supreme Court, you earned it. If the answer is she is a racist then Sonia Sotomayor should by no means become a justice. On her probable confirmation I hope the former is the case.