Will It Get Ugly? Both Sides Prepared for Start of Sotomayor Hearings Monday

It won't get ugly. She's obviously less ideological than Roberts, and equally clearly more distinguished professionally than Alito (who wasn't really a slouch). This is not a Harriet Myers - there just is not any legitimate reason to block her. Republicans in office are mostly not idiots; they aren't going to send a gift wrapped "proof we're purely obstructionists!" package of soundbites to the Democrats for 2010.

yawn,

This will be an easy confirmation. Political suicide to the one who votes against her nomination.

So any who wants out the congress.... vote against her.

you will be toast!!!

Although the Thomas hearings were a low point too, that I didn't want to see repeated.

I hope it doesn't get ugly.

I really, really hope it doesn't get ugly.
The Alito hearings were a low point I'd like not to see repeated. Ever.

Re: The CNN poll. The question was phrased is such a way (Would a senator be -justified- in opposing Sotomayer?)that a person who thinks she should be confirmed might still think Sessions was justified in not supporting her.

I hope it does not get ugly. Sotomayor would not be my choice for the highest court and I am not terribly impressed with her credentials. HOwever, that's how the system works. A liberal president was elected and he gets to chose liberal judges. It's the way the system balances things out. If she is not outrageously unqualified-- and she is not-- then she deserves to be approved.

But Tom, please do not pretend she is a conservative. She is not. And that's okay. I want a judicious mix of philosophies on the court, including conservatives, liberals, and moderates. And then I want those judges to be able to make their determinations without prejudice.

I do not want the Sotomayor hearings to become a circus and I hope mature Republican leaders like John McCain and Orrin Hatch are able to prevail and make sure that she gets a fair hearing and a vote in the full Senate based on her qualifications. Republicans need to turn the other cheek rather than exact pay-back for the way Obama and others responded to Sam Alito and John Roberts.

"why cant we simply appoint Justices based on the demographic makeup of the country? Use census data to tell the ethnic, racial, religious, sexual, and income information of the US population" - Ed

Is this a joke?

Tom, It depends on how long down the pike the next nominee for the SC is. My guess is Paul Stevens will probably be replaced (die or retire) before Obama's first term is complete, and definitely before Obama's second term if he's reelected. Ginsberg will be nearly 80 by 2012 and she's got some health problems. My guess is Obama will try to be moderate after Sotomayor's appointment.

So I guess everything in Iran is completely resolved. Funny how that happened at the exact moment that the latest Michael Jackson circus began.

How much will we actually hear about these confirmation hearings this week? I know ABC already has several hours set aside to discuss the terribly important Michael Jackson situation, but how much time will something relevant have devoted to it?

Sotomayor is a moderate to conservative judge who was appointed by Republican George H.W. Bush. She wrote three opinions favoring anti- abortion protesters, and anti-abortion policies. In 96 cases alleging racial discrimination, Sotomayor and the panel rejected the claim of racial discrimination roughly 78 times. Sotomayor also was tougher on convicted criminals than her colleagues during her six years as a federal district judge, sending more convicts to prison and handing out longer sentences than her colleagues. In the Ricci firefighter case, Sotomayor simply followed existing law; the Supreme Court in overturning that decision created new precedent (which is fine for the Supreme Court to do, but it is not the job of a lower court; Sotomayor rightly followed precedent in this case.) It's not clear what Republicans hope to gain with a fight here, since the next nominee is hardly likely to be more conservative.

I don't know why they are even bothering. It's a done deal! She'd have to grow horns, spit green vomit, and rotate her head 360 degrees before they would even possibly vote against her confirmation.

This Woman has no business judging anyone.....Wake up up America..

Yes, Ron, his name was Harrold Carswell. But I think he was white.

But, bringing two discrimination law suits should not mean a person has a troubled and litigious work history. What does it mean if he wins every case he brings? There are some sore losers out there!

Exactly whom are the mock hearings mocking, anyway? Her or Congress? Maybe the people? Or maybe it's the People for the American Way. They are pretty much making a mockery of decency and fairness in this process.

why cant we simply appoint Justices based on the demographic makeup of the country? Use census data to tell the ethnic, racial, religious, sexual, and income information of the US population and make the courts reflect that information as closely as possible. Maybe with one Justice who is an illegal alien to reflect that population. This would avoid the costs and trouble of hearings and it would ensure the court reflect the public. This could also be used from Congress and the Senate or even the President, for example, the next President should be a hispanic women who, preferably, is homosexual. It makes sense to me.

i want to see her cry! I want her family upset! I want her hurting...then they can vote! :)))

I'm half Irish half Latino and from what this woman has said, it sounds like she'd rather see the white race wiped off the face of the earth to be replaced solely by the latino race. Couple this with Obama's swooning defense of south American dictators and we can see institutionalized racism against whites.

Being half and half, I've received racism mostly because of the white in me - not the latino. Come on America, let's stop this nonsense!

HAS THERE EVER been a more blatently racist nominee to the Supreme Court ? This is the sort of thing you get when the primary consideration for any post is the person's skin color.