WASHINGTON – A history-making selection behind him, President Barack Obama is pressing the Senate to quickly confirm federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor as the first Hispanic justice on the Supreme Court.
Not so fast, say Republicans.
The GOP faces an uphill battle in defeating the New York-born daughter of Puerto Rican parents, but Republicans are promising a thorough and perhaps lengthy hearing process that scrutinizes her record and judicial philosophy.
"I'd like it to be a hearing that people can be proud of," said Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee. "That means treating the nominee with respect but not minimizing the serious issues that are at stake."
Sessions also said it was "possible" he could back Sotomayor's nomination, although he was one of several Republicans who opposed her when she came before the Senate as a nominee for the U.S. Court of Appeals in 1998. "We ought to look at her record fresh," Sessions said.
Sotomayor's personal story and her academic and legal credentials earn her respect from all quarters, but conservatives see plenty to criticize in her rulings and past statements. They describe her as a judicial activist who would put her feelings above the Constitution.
Sotomayor has said that personal experiences "affect the facts that judges choose to see."
from: news.yahoo.com
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