Editor's Note: With the Senate confirmation hearing of Judge Sonia Sotomayor commencing today, Monday’s American Morning audience voiced diverse opinion about Sotomayor’s heritage and its impact on the court.
- Jay: If someone is invited somewhere to speak for being a wise Latina woman can you really fault them for putting it in their stump speech. Anglo Republicans are really pushing a non issue.
- Ruth: Judge Sotomayor's life is the classic American story. I do support her and have contacted my senators and my congressman. She is truly a woman of our time.
- Bil: The question is whether the public and the Senate will be willing/able to separate the implication of statements from the facts of Sotomayor’s actions and her decisions. I hope this will happen.
- Virginia: Judge Sotomayor should be confirmed with little debate. Her record is clear, her willingness to communicate with Congress unprecedented, and her background will be an asset to the bench.
- Dolores: I do believe that Judge Sotomayor should be approved for SCOTUS; I trust President Obama's prudent decision-making and her decision with respect to the firefighters was based on the law. If republicans are looking for someone who follows the law, Sotomayor is the next Justice. On the other hand, if Vice President Cheney's directive to keep a counter-terrorism program secret from Congress is found true through all due diligence, he should, indeed, have to account for such dictatorial decision-making. If true, I do believe laws were broken. He was covered in Teflon for eight years; it's time to lift that slippery coating and see what's underneath
How do you feel about a Latina woman being considered for the highest court in the U.S.? Do you feel her heritage helps or hurts her chances of nomination? How do you think her background will affect her decisions on the court: will she defer to minorities or will she treat everyone equally under the law? Comment here or follow the story.
Many were still divided about her ruling on the New Haven Firefighters’ lawsuit and continued to debate the topic.
- Abednego: I am confused. Maybe I do not know the entire case. But I disagree with the Supreme Court for over turning Judge Sotomayor's decision in the firefighters' case. No court (especially the Supreme Court) should be promoting promotion on the job based on testing instead of merit. In my view, this decision carries a grave potential of cheating and unfairness in the work place. There is a potential of bribery by employees to gain access to the test in advance, supervisors secretly giving test materials out to relative or favorable employees, and so on. Unless there is something I am missing about this case, this is a terrible decision by the Supreme Court. Can you imagine a one year employee getting promoted over a five, ten or more years employee based on test and not on hard and honest work? I cannot. Is this how the news organizations promote their employees? No company or organization, especially those who use tax payers' money to pay their employees such as this fire department should be doing this. IT IS WRONG. Please tell me what I am missing?
- Lee: I am not concerned about Judge Sotomayor's comments as I believe her incredible life experience to be a plus. I am concerned about her decision on reverse discrimination. She should have ruled in favor of the fire fighters that brought the law suit and given an opinion that the minorities would be better served to follow the example of those who take academics seriously and tell them to go back and study for the next exam.
- Bill: I would like to comment on a few things about Sonja Sotomayor, but I still acknowledge her accomplishments. Much is said about her growing up in a project. The projects were new buildings surrounded by park areas built almost exclusively for the new immigrants, mostly Puerto Ricans. Many of the buildings in the Bronx had been burned either by unscrupulous landlords to collect insurance, or by careless tenants not used to living in apartment buildings. Indeed the South Bronx looked like it had been bombed. Of course the unscrupulous rich profited from all of this and the middle class lived in the older buildings while the new immigrants moved into brand new "affordable" buildings. As you know the "middle class" left New York City. From what I understand Sotomayor was given allowances during her education which would not have been granted to a non-Hispanic. Given that she turned around to do the same thing for non-whites in New Haven, taking away the rights of the white firefighters. I don't think the "middle class" is going to support a privileged class. They voted in New York City with their feet by moving out. Many of the "middle class" would have loved to have moved into a new building (project) with playground and park areas. Growing up in a project was a privilege not a detriment. Who inhabits the projects today. Are there a lot of white people living there? Fairness equals equality in tests.
How do you feel about Judge Sotomayor’s ruling on the New Haven Firefighters’ case? Do you believe that the recent Supreme Court overturning of her ruling will be detrimental to her confirmation to the Supreme Court?