To Confirm or “NOT” to Confirm: Do You Know the Answer?

Action Item, Educational Material, In The News July 11, 2009

I have already made my decision based on much research and study of Sotomayor’s background. How knowledgeable are you on this potential lifetime Supreme Court nominee by our Commander in Thief?

Here is some weekend browsing for those wishing to learn more. You needn’t wait until the actual confirmation hearings begin on Monday. All the answers to the following questions can be found on-line in articles, bios and court opinions. What will be interesting during the hearings is if she actually stands by all her affirmations thus far or will she slickly try to divert as to get confirmed, then do a 180 as her appointee has done since moving into the white house.

Daily Questions for Judge Sotomayor

Confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor are scheduled to begin on July 13th. Senator  Cornyn is committed to giving her record a full and fair review. In an effort to ensure a transparent, comprehensive examination of her extensive record, Senator Cornyn, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former Texas Supreme Court Justice, will pose a daily question raised by her record and her judicial opinions.

Question 1: What is the proper role of foreign and international law in interpreting the United States Constitution?

Question 2: What is the power of a federal court to interpret the law absent a “Case” or “Controversy”?

Question 3: How much should courts defer to the judgment of Congress and the Executive Branch in the area of national security?

Question 4: What is the role of statutory text in statutory interpretation?

Question 5: Are there any limits to the power of Congress under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution?

Question 6: What is the role of original intent and originial public meaning in constitutional interpretation?

Question 7: How can a judge objectively apply the law if she believes there are multiple realities and multiple versions of the truth?

Question 8: Does Judge Sotomayor believe that the firefighters’ claims in Ricci v. DeStefano are routine and not worthy of careful treatment?

Question 9: Are judges supposed to update the law to reflect changing social policy?

Question 10: What did Judge Sotomayor mean when she agreed that the Second Amendment does not protect a fundamental right?

Question 11: How should courts measure the Government’s need to protect the public safety against the threat of terrorism?

Question 12: Does Judge Sotomayor continue to believe that the city of New Haven should have been allowed to scrap the results of its firefighter exam on the basis of race?

Question 13: Does the Takings Clause provide any limits on the power of the government to take private property?

Question 14: Has the Supreme Court made any missteps in the last fifty years that might justify public skepticism about lawyers and the courts?Question 15: Is the Constitution color-blind?

Question 16: Should the Constitution be interpreted to allow the death penalty, and if so, under what limitations?

Question 17: Should constitutional interpretation resemble common law decisionmaking?

Question 18: What limits does the First Amendment impose on campaign finance regulation?

Question 19: What is the proper role of judges in defining marriage and the family?

 

 

Happy Weekend…I’m off later to go enjoy the “Hot Harley Nights” parade and get a few new photos for the family album. 

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