Judge Sonia Sotomayor was nominated to replace Supreme Court Justice Souter on June 1, 2009 by President Barack Obama. After extensive Senate hearings by the Committee on the Judiciary, Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed by the United States Senate with a 68 to 31 vote on August 6th, 2009. (Supreme Court) Although it was clear that Republicans had no intention to filibuster the nomination, partisan lines were clearly divided both during the committee hearings and illustrated in the Senate votes. However, due to the Democratic Majority in the Senate, it was clear that Sotomayor would be confirmed. During the hearings, Sotomayor answered the questions honestly, eloquently, and cautiously. During questioning, it was evident which issues were most important to the Senate: impartiality, activism and the ‘wise’ Latina.
Not all agreed with the President’s choice of nominee. In fact, some referred to his choice as a judicial activist. (Baker, 2009) Yet, because Judge Sotomayor was replacing liberal Justice Souter, it was no surprise. As the hearings began, the conservative concerns were apparent among the hearing. Three issues that are listed above are believed to be the most relevant during the questioning. Impartiality was raised during a number of issues. Because of Judge Sotomayor’s bold opinions and previous speeches made, her ability as a judge to look at issues regarding the law impartially questioned many. For example, her belief regarding the deference to Congress’ intent was raised. The issue regarding her impartiality was seen in Senator Cardin’s (D-MD) questioning. Sotomayor responded by explaining how a judge’s job is to apply the law to the unique facts of the individual case. In addition, she repeatedly discussed the importa...
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Sotomayor's 'wise Latina' Comment a Staple of Her Speeches - CNN. (5 June 2009). Featured Articles from CNN.
The court case of Marbury v. Madison (1803) is credited and widely believed to be the creator of the “unprecedented” concept of Judicial Review. John Marshall, the Supreme Court Justice at the time, is lionized as a pioneer of Constitutional justice, but, in the past, was never really recognized as so. What needs to be clarified is that nothing in history is truly unprecedented, and Marbury v. Madison’s modern glorification is merely a product of years of disagreements on the validity of judicial review, fueled by court cases like Eakin v. Raub; John Marshall was also never really recognized in the past as the creator of judicial review, as shown in the case of Dred Scott v. Sanford.
First, the challenge of diabetes. Sotomayor told Robert Barnes, of the Washington Post, “It drove me in a way that perhaps nothing else might have to accomplish as much as I could as early as possible.” What can be pulled from this quote is that she saw this disease not as something that would hold her back from her dreams but something that would drive her harder to her dreams. Sonia also told Barnes that she strived hard to reach her goals before age fifty because she was afraid she would die early. The drive of fear and determination really helped push Sonia to the finish line. Next, her cultural and social background. Sonia overcame this by working very hard: “Sotomayor bought grammar books and vocabulary texts and practiced each lunch hour at her summer job”(Barnes) He goes on to tell us that not only did Sotomayor get better at english and close the education gap but was awarded Princeton’s top academic prize. The video by Bio.com tells us that at school she was a quiet girl and was one of the smartest people in a school filled with smart people. Sonia worked really hard to conquer this adversity so she could go into law. Overall, Sonia Sotomayor has faced a lot of adversity in her lifetime but she has overcome it with great
serving as the first hispanic high supreme court judge. She has undergone challenges, of maybe discrimination. Just because she grew up being hispanic, people have a “stereotyped” version of what hispanics are most likely to be. Being hispanic does not mean doing illegal things, people like Sotomayor could succeed in things she wants to become. Proving everybody who thinks Hispanics are lazy/ illegal wrong. Sotomayor is the nineteenth most powerful woman in this country, she is classified on closing all top case files, and is known for honoring her heritage because she didn’t care what other people said about Hispanics, she went and achieved her dream of having a career connected to “crime in justice”. Sotomayor believes that education is basically the base or the first steps you take to achieve things in life. Sonia Sotomayor has accomplished her past objectives and keeps on having goals to accomplish, continually eager to make modification for the individuals who demonstrate that they need to roll out an improvement. Through her activities she demonstrated that anything is conceivable on the off chance that you set it. Sotomayor has been through numerous snags that she needed to confronted yet despite everything she succeed her objectives. Sonia Sotomayor is a good example for the individuals who may believe that it's conceivable to wind up somebody like her or surprisingly better. Particularly if she's speaking to the Hispanic race, she's a good example for the individuals who did not surmise that turning into a judge in the Supreme Court was
It is simple to be confused by the federal court judges and their decisions and how they go about them and how they are in their position. Personally, I always thought they were elected by the Supreme Court or someone or something higher than them. But I was very surprised to know that they were appointed (assigned a job or role to). This leaves the judges from having to go through a process of campaigning and running against others. Although by being unelected officials it has both pros and cons. Pros being, that they are trusted enough to handle cases that go to this point and being able to make a decision under the law to better the society. Cons being, if a federal court judge makes any misdemeanor or crime they have the ability to be impeached
... them first hand in person while they were not on the bench. He has been able to meet just about every single Supreme Court Justice that is currently sitting on the bench now. He has practically has a personal connection to the Supreme Court Justices just for serving as tour guide for the Supreme Court. It is not everyday that one can say this about one of their family members. Also, not many people are able to volunteer as a docent.
Prior to accepting his Supreme Court nomination, Justice John Paul Stevens served on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. As a Seventh Circuit judge, Stevens only encountered the issue of abortion only once. S...
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The tragedies Ruth Ginsburg experienced throughout her upbringing had a lasting contribution to her life today. In 1933, she was born to Russian-Jewish immigrants amidst the Great Depression. In the hardships of the Great Depression, she lost both her older sister and mother as a child. This time was one of great difficulty for Ginsburg; however, she withstood this adversity and gained invaluable life lessons giving her the opportunity to attain unprecedented levels of success. After coping with her losses, she left to attend Harvard Law School and later Columbia Law School, two world-renowned schools of law. At this period in history, however, both men who dominated this field and who ran the schools discriminated Ginsburg based on her gender (“Ruth Bader Ginsburg”). At one point during the school day, the Dean of Harvard Law approached her and said, “How do you justify taking a spot from a qualified man?” (Galanes). Despite this prejudice, Ginsburg continued to excel in her schooling where she later graduated as top of her class at Columbia (“Ruth Bader Ginsburg”).
Hillary Rodham Clinton is a well-recognized woman in the United States. Her great contribution as Secretary of State impacted people’s lives. One of many remarkable speeches Clinton gave was the “The Women Rights Speech” on the 4th World Conference on Women Plenary Session, where she used strong words and emotions to appeal the audience. Even though the speech talked about women rights, she wanted everyone including men and children to listen and take action. Her use of ethos, logos and pathos throughout the speech helped people understand women live in a world where they suffer discrimination, and she proposes solutions to solve the issue.
The Supreme Court has the highest authority in this country and throughout its existence the diversity of people in it had been lacking. On May 29, 2009 a new Supreme Court Justice was nominated, she was the first Latina to be appointed to this position and eventually was confirmed by the senate. Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination speech was a moment that brought joy to many Latinos who often did not feel represented in higher positions of authority in this country. She was the first to break the norm for this and in the speech she delivered to the country via new stations she was able to present to the country what qualified her as a Supreme Court Justice. Former President Barack Obama presented Sotomayor as a person
... bicentennial of the Supreme Court itself. Feel free to be surprised if the way we nominate Justices changes anytime soon, because how we have done it so far seems to be working like magic.
Columbia Law Review, 104, 1-20. doi:10.2307/4099343. Reynolds, S. (2009). The 'Standard'. An interview with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
views as to whether or not Judicial review, and the Supreme Court as a whole,
Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/2007/08/30/women-power-speech-biz-07women- cz_em_0830speak.html. Owens, Selena. (2014, April 1). Hillary Clinton’s Worst Quality? WND Commentary.
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