I got Senator John Cornyn's newsletter in my inbox today, and it contained this tidbit: Last week I met with Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s nominee to the United States Supreme Court, in my Washington office. During our conversation, I assured her that the confirmation process will be fair and dignified, a courtesy that has not always been shown to past Republican nominees. I have significant questions with some of Judge Sotomayor’s court rulings and statements, and I intend to ask her about those thoroughly during her confirmation hearing, which is scheduled for the third week in July. Part of me wonders if Senator Cornyn can actually control his Republican colleagues and supporters enough, but if he can than I will applaud him for his efforts. Future Supreme Court Justices, especially the most qualified ones, deserve fair and dignified hearings, one would think. Just a note to Senator Cornyn: we'll be watching. And there will be some things that we watch for: - Accusations that the judge is a racist are not fair or dignified, because she is not a racist and the idea of racism is anything but dignified.
- Suggesting that Judge Sotomayor is a racist would be wrong for similar reasons as "racism" accusations.
- Because Ms. Sotomayor is an experienced judge, evaluating her primarily on comments made away from the bench is not fair. The most accurate form of evaluation will still be her past rulings.
- Using her past experiences and her empathy to make decisions should not be seen by Republicans as a fault. Or did they wrongly support Justice Alito?
Senator Cornyn has the ability to be one of the more influential Republicans for judicial confirmations: he is on the Judiciary Committee, he is a former Texas Supreme Court Justice, and he is running the national senate campaigns. Whether or not he will be able to influence the hearing is not the question. Confirmation hearings void of unfair and undignified accusations from the right, however, would surprise me. To the extent Judge Sotomayor is treated with fairness and dignity will reflect upon Senator Cornyn's true influence with conservatives as well as the authenticity of his statements thus far. |
