Democrats pump up Sotomayor

The Democratic Party is doing its darndest to support a Democratic president's first Supreme Court nominee since Bill Clinton put Stephen Breyer on the high court in 1994.

This morning, just before Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing begins before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democratic National Committee chairman Tim Kaine issued videos in English and Spanish lauding her credentials.

“Judge Sotomayor is one of the most qualified candidates ever nominated to the Court. She would bring more federal judicial experience than any justice in 100 years, and more overall judicial experience than anyone confirmed in the past seventy,” Kaine says in the videos. “She will replace retiring Justice David Souter as the only member of the court with experience as a trial judge.”

“Judge Sotomayor has been a big-city prosecutor and a corporate litigator, a federal trial judge and an appellate judge on the Second Circuit Court of Appeals,” he adds. “She’s worked at almost every level of our judicial system – yielding a depth of experience and a breadth of perspectives that will be invaluable on our highest court.

The DNC has mobilized its grassroots machine on Sotomayor's behalf, urging supporters to call their senators and write their local newspapers. Some have submitted snapshots of themselves holding "I Stand with Sotomayor" posters in places including Fenway Park.

Kaine, who is governor of Virginia, calls the confirmation hearings a "big and important event" for the Senate and nation.

“She’s been hailed as one of the most able judges of her generation - cited for her intellectual prowess, her discipline, commitment, and integrity," he says of Sotomayor. "People around the country are enthusiastically behind her nomination – Democrats and Republicans, law enforcement officials, the legal community and academia – there's no doubt President Obama picked the right person for the job.”

But not all Republicans are enamored of Sotomayor, who has 17 years on the federal bench and would become the first Hispanic on the high court.

"I think philosophically her statements indicate an approach to judging that is outside the mainstream," Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the ranking Republican on the judiciary panel, said this morning on CBS's "Early Show."

Breyer, along with Ruth Bader Ginsburg, nominated by Clinton in 1993, are the only members of the nine-justice court appointed by a Democrat.

To Democrats' defense the Sotomayor is a moderate, Sessions asserted this morning that Ginsburg has been far more activist on the court than her record suggested.

Hispanic advocacy groups are also heavily involved, noting the history that could be made if Sotomayor joins the court.

The National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, released a letter this morning it sent to Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy and to Sessions urging a swift confirmation.

“Given her extraordinary life story, her experience, her reputation for excellence, and her continuing connection to the Latino community, we urge her prompt confirmation by the Senate,” writes the group's president and CEO, Janet Murguía.

The full letter is below:

On behalf of NCLR ( National Council of La Raza)—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—I write in support of the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. Our recommendation comes after a thorough and careful review of her qualifications and decades-long record as an attorney and judge.

First, we noted her compelling life story. As cited in the official White House biography of Judge Sotomayor:

“She grew up in a public housing project in the South Bronx…Her father, a factory worker with a third-grade education, died when Sotomayor was nine years old. Her mother, a nurse, raised Sotomayor and her younger brother Juan, now a physician in Syracuse…Sotomayor graduated as valedictorian of her class at Blessed Sacrament and at Cardinal Spellman High School in New York…At Princeton, she continued to excel, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa…At Yale Law School, Judge Sotomator served as an editor of the Yale Law Journal…”

Second, we considered her experience. Judge Sotomayor has worked as an Assistant District Attorney and an attorney in private
practice, and in 1992 she was appointed to the U.S. District Court by President George H. W. Bush. In 1998, President Bill Clinton appointed Judge Sotomayor to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Third, we assessed her performance. Judge Sotomayor has earned a reputation for excellence at each stage of her career. New York City District Attorney Robert Morgenthau praised her in The Wall Street Journal as “highly qualified for any position in which wisdom, intelligence, collegiality and good character could be assets.” Colleagues on the Second Circuit, appointed by Republican and Democratic presidents alike, have called her “thoughtful,” “fair,” and “careful.” And just this week, the American Bar Association, which has traditionally evaluated the integrity, professional competence, and judicial temperament of potential Supreme Court justices, unanimously gave Judge Sotomayor its highest rating.

Finally, we examined her connection to her community. Judge Sotomayor has been extremely active in community service activities, including through her participation in New York City’s Development School for Youth, service on the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, and membership as an individual associate of NCLR.

Overall, we concluded that Judge Sotomayor is undoubtedly qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would have more experience as a federal Appellate Court judge than any of the current Supreme Court justices had at the time of their appointments.

Given her extraordinary life story, experience, reputation for excellence, and continuing connection to the Latino community, NCLR’s Board of Directors unanimously voted to endorse Judge Sotomayor’s nomination. We urge her prompt confirmation by the Senate.