Judge Sotomayor says: "Over the past three decades I have seen our judicial system from a number of different perspectives"
>
Judge Sotomayor' delivers her opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee earlier today. She said, "My personal and professional experiences help me listen and understand, with the law always commanding the result in every case."
A colleague notes that Jeffrey Toobin pointed out on CNN that in their opening statements none of the Republican committee members mentioned same-sex marriage ("Kudos to Toobin for saying 'same-sex marriage' rather than 'gay marriage,'" the colleague writes), suggesting that the politics of the issue have changed so much that it no longer has the play for them it did until, well, now. -- Ken
SEN. AL FRANKEN COMMENTS
ON RIGHT-WING JUDICIAL ACTIVISM
Among the other opening statements, perhaps most notable was the public debut of Minnesota Sen. Al Franken, who said, according to the Los Angles Times's Robin Abcarian:
I believe the position of Congress with respect to the courts and the executive is in jeopardy. … The framers made Congress the first branch of government for a reason: It answers directly to the people. I am wary of judicial activism and I believe in judicial restraint. The judicial branch is designed to show deep deference to the Congress. … Yet recently, it appears that appropriate deference may not have been shown in the past few years, and there is evidence that judicial activism is on the rise. …
The Supreme Court is the last court in the land to seek a level playing field, the last place an employee can go if he or she is discriminated against, the last place a small-business owner can go … the last place an investor can go to recover from securities fraud. … It is the last place a citizen can go to protect his or her vote, the last place a woman can go to protect her reproductive health and rights.
#
Labels: Al Franken, same-sex marriage, Senate Judiciary Committee, Sonia Sotomayor
posted by KenInNY @ 2:00 PM
4 comments
|
Reddit
4 Comments:
Its nice we have a Senator who understands the point of government.
These Catholics don't believe in reproductive rights. They hate homosexuality but the church hierarchy are all mostly all homosexuals. They run around in dresses playing make believe. The virgin birth, rising from the dead. Are these people all nuts or just fakers who have found a way to steal from the gullible.
Six Catholics on the court, what a disgrace. We the people not we the institutions. It's no wonder we don't have health care for all as we are spending fast sums of money on make believe and more weapons (many obsolete) to kill more people.
The pope an ex Nazi. It's too bad Scalia couldn't have lived during the inquisitions he would have fit in perfectly. He's never seen an institution he couldn't love or an individual he doesn't have contempt for.
There is nothing supreme about the court they are nothing but a bunch of corporate and institutional lackeys who have sold out justice. The political, catholic court is what it should be called. We must all hope for Roberts bug eyes to foretell some early fatal illness.
Anon is absolutely right.
When I was young, I greatly admired the Court. That was back in the days of Brennan and Douglas.
The difference between them and today's "justices" is like the difference between Walter Cronkite and Bill O'Lielly.
Two critically important institutions, the news media and the Supreme Court, have gone straight to hell, in the same manner, and for the same reasons.
IMO, the most interesting questioning on Day 2 was by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) who touched upon a number of topics including judicial termperment, abortion, funding of abortion, military justice, etc. Yet, the most interesting was his comment about women in politics and the judiciary.
GRAHAM: And I hope one day that there will be more women serving in elected office and judicial offices in the Mid-East because I can tell you this, from my point of view. One of the biggest problems in Iraq and Afghanistan is the mother’s voice is seldom heard about the fate of her children.
And if you wanted to change Iraq, apply the rule of law and have more women involved and having a say about Iraq. And I believe that about Afghanistan. And I think that’s true here.
I think, for a long time, a lot of talented women were asked, can you type? And were trying to get beyond that and improve as a nation.
So when it comes to the idea that we should consciously try to include more people in the legal process and the judicial process, from different backgrounds, count me in.
= = =
Sounds great, but before the Republicans want to change the Mid-East maybe they need to look around the room and ask why they only have males on the Judiciary Committee. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-TX) and Lisa Ann Murkowski (R-AK) are attorneys yet both are not on the panel although Dr. Tom Coburn (R-OK) is.
= = =
FYI : Senator Franken convened a meeting with Minnesota legal experts last week to discuss the types of questions that they would have ... that's what is needed more ... a Senator that realizes that they do not necessarily know everything and that the input from the people is the best input.
Post a Comment
<< Home