Sotomayor selected as Supreme Court nominee; partisan battle lines drawn in Senate

May 26, 1:33 PMLiberal ExaminerRaymond Gellner

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     This morning President Barack Obama officially announced his selection of federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor as Supreme Court nominee, replacing the retiring Justice David Souter. Although she is a left-leaning judge, she has garnered bipartisan support in her previous appointments. Sotomayor has gained appointments in the past by President George H. W. Bush and President Bill Clinton. Therefore, due to this as well as the fact that eight of the republicans who voted for her in her 1998 federal judicial appointment are still active in the Senate, it is unlikely that the ultra-right will be able to garner the support needed for a filibuster in order to block her confirmation.

     Both GOP and Democratic Senators have already started their partisan political maneuvering in order to gain their respective footholds in the battle that is likely to ensue during the senate confirmation hearings. While the democrats tout Sotomayor’s unparalleled experience on the bench, the republicans point to objections to the possibility that she would bring political activism to the United States Supreme Court. The stakes are extremely high for both parties as Sotomayor, who is age 54, would be an active force on the land’s highest court for at least 20 years, most likely longer.

     The GOP always actively points out that the Supreme Court should not be turned into a political battle ground. However, this concern was not raised by them when Antonin Scalia, who is a highly outspoken justice for the ultra-right, was nominated.

     In any event, the actual issue is the ability to interpret the Constitution in a manner that best suits our ever-changing society. Unfortunately, the Constitution was created by persons who had no idea of the complexity that the future would hold. Yet, this is not a failure on their part, just a fact that both the world and society are ever-changing systems. Because of this, it is important to have a Supreme Court Justice who has the ability to grasp that there are times when our Constitution must be reinterpreted accordingly to suit the needs of society as it is and will be. In other words, though the ideal that justices should not allow politics to influence their decisions should be applauded, justices must be able to reflect on how their rulings affect our nation’s citizens. Of course these changes must not contradict our founding principles but must illuminate them in new ways and in ways that benefit all levels of our society. As a Supreme Court justice, Judge Sonia Sotomayor has the experience and the wisdom to navigate these waters in this manner to greatly benefit our nation.
 

 See also:  "Empathy is positive to the Sotomayor Supreme Court selection"