What do you think of Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court??

[studentofthemarket]

Wow..in that case, what he did was brilliant

Well think about it. a head fake to get your guy in there? I always chuckled when the media etc. would rag on Bush for being so dumb etc.

Sure he did some stuff that ticked me off. Can't think of a president that didn't. LOL

Bush sure got what he wanted done. over and over. even up against queen nancy who complained that later she was misled about the imaginary torture.

So bush was so stupid yet he repeatedly outfoxed her?

kind of like the LAPD. They were so stupid to gathering evidence against OJ, yet were smart enough to put Nicole's DNA in his shower drain?

Either you are stupid or smart. You're never both at the same time.

Sotamajor is a goof. I can't believe she's Obama's first pick. She's the pick to head off the whiney masses.

[yoyomama]

LOL,

Harriet Myers was never the "main pick" Roberts was the guy, and where is he? on the bench as chief justice.

Bush had to start off with a woman otherwise all of the whiners would have gone into fully whiner mode.

Uuhhh, Roberts was before Myers.

[Karel]

On Monday, June 29, 2009, the Supreme Court, by a 5-4 vote, ruled that the city's action in throwing out the test results violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Anyone else find it ironic that this violated the very act that the city was trying to uphold? Can you imagine what the vote would have been if Sotomayer was on the court? I haven't been able to find a link showing which justices voted which way, but I'm guessing Sotomayer's vote would have swung the decision.

The statistics convinced me that this might be a good outcome, so I am a bit disappointed at the divided vote, and very curious about the decision. And when a decision seems to be so much a matter of opinion, or dare I say, politics, this does not engender confidence in the law and the courts. But that's life, I guess.

If you are guessing that Sotomayor would have swung the vote, you are by implication guessing that Souter voted in the majority. Which is possible, but I understand from Wikipedia that Kennedy is the usual suspect in "many of the Court's politically charged 5–4 decisions." Who knows! I certainly don't.

Regards,

Karel

[peanuts]

...but I understand from Wikipedia that Kennedy is the usual suspect in "many of the Court's politically charged 5–4 decisions." Who knows! I certainly don't.

Regards,

Karel

Statistically speaking, it is amazing when you look at the votes of the justices and count the number of opposing votes to the actual ruling. Liberals oppose at something like a 33% higher rate than conservatives, and Kennedy has the fewest oppositions of them all... so yes, Kennedy has been the deciding factor in so many rulings. You are right, as usual, Karel.

Regarding Sotomayer, I think that if she were to make it onto the court, then she would certainly swing the vote. The conservative opposing vote rate would increase, i.e. the court's rulings would become more liberal. This seat on the court is extremely important, yet I doubt the majority of Americans actually understand this. If you start throwing statistics at a group of people, more than 2/3 will tune you out.

Kennedy may or may not still be the deciding factor, but with a change in the majority, I think Kennedy's role, as statistical swing factor, will decline.

I truly hope Sotomayer does not become a justice... all 3 branches of the government will become liberal at a time when political and fiscal conservatism is crucial.

[skiracer]

Statistically speaking, it is amazing when you look at the votes of the justices and count the number of opposing votes to the actual ruling. Liberals oppose at something like a 33% higher rate than conservatives, and Kennedy has the fewest oppositions of them all... so yes, Kennedy has been the deciding factor in so many rulings. You are right, as usual, Karel.

Regarding Sotomayer, I think that if she were to make it onto the court, then she would certainly swing the vote. The conservative opposing vote rate would increase, i.e. the court's rulings would become more liberal. This seat on the court is extremely important, yet I doubt the majority of Americans actually understand this. If you start throwing statistics at a group of people, more than 2/3 will tune you out.

Kennedy may or may not still be the deciding factor, but with a change in the majority, I think Kennedy's role, as statistical swing factor, will decline.

I truly hope Sotomayer does not become a justice... all 3 branches of the government will become liberal at a time when political and fiscal conservatism is crucial.

regardless of who voted which way they finally got something right. the whole civil rights issue and equal opportunity idea has gotten way out of line and in favor of the blacks even when it is completely illogical to do it that way. thank God they finally voted in the name of reason. did anyone notice that it was a combination of latinos and whites that brought the suit. the latinos are now feeling that they are being discriminated against not because they are a minority but because they are now part of the majority.

[IIC]

Wasn't Sotomayor in the Argentina Grove recently???


Or am I confused???

I was just waiting for Sony to get off the plane w/ Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton at LAX...Darn...I was at the main terminal and I heard they landed at the Imperial Terminal...If you live in LA maybe you'll get that...LOL

[Karel]

[...] If you are guessing that Sotomayor would have swung the vote, you are by implication guessing that Souter voted in the majority. [...]

It appears that Souter was dissenting, so Sotomayor could not have swung this vote.
See page 4 of the Opinion (PDF, 489K) for the vote.

Regards,

Karel