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As the confirmation hearing proceeds, it is worth remembering the important areas where Judge Sonia Sotomayor is on the liberal extreme.  Robert Alt of the Heritage Foundation helpfully covers three of the most important cases.  He writes:

Throughout her career, Judge Sotomayor has made statements and issued decisions that raise grave concerns about her impartiality, her judicial philosophy, her views on ethnicity and gender, and her perspective on issues ranging from gun rights, to property rights, to U.S. courts' reliance on foreign law. With that in mind, here are three troublesome cases that will highlight the hearings:

Second Amendment. Everyone knows about the 32 words Judge Sotomayor uttered about the "wise Latina woman," but what about the 11 words? That's how many she dedicated to determining whether a state law prohibiting weapons possession involved a fundamental right. She held that the Second Amendment doesn't apply to the states -- a ruling that would permit local governments to completely ban gun possession if they so desire.

Sotomayor's defenders have suggested that this case is an example of judicial restraint, because she relied upon 19th century cases in deciding that weapons could be outlawed. But the Supreme Court just last year said those cases do not meet the requirements of current law. This defense also ignores that Sotomayor did not cite a single case in her decision, just dismissing seven pages of analysis that the Ninth Circuit conducted to reach the conclusion that the right to bear arms is a fundamental one, deeply rooted in our nation's history.

View all comments (2) | Leave a comment

Solo| 7.13.09 @ 7:37PM

Anyone who finds themselves to the left of the "Ninth Circuit" is definitely "out there".

Funny how she finds an unrestricted "right" to abortion in the constitution by not to ownership of arms.

Perhaps she is reading Ammendment 1.5A:

"For the maintenance of a free and un-tethered lifestyle, the right of a woman to mutilate, kill, suck from the womb in little pieces, her child as it writhes in agony- shall not be infringed".

You see....it takes a superior "Latina woman" to find those 'special' amendments in the constitution and to understand that; What isn't there actually IS and what is there actually ISN'T.

I hope you're taking notes......

RM| 7.13.09 @ 9:16PM

Any attempt by any branch of the federal government to abridge the rights defined under the Bill of Rights - particularly the First and Second Amendments - is a declaration of war on liberty. Therefore it is a declaration of war on the American people.

Sorry. That's the line in the sand. I will not obey any laws infringing on those rights.

Cass S., the Supremes, Holden, Powers, Holder, Koh, etc. etc. I don't care who they are, who appoints them, or how "politically correct" they are. They infringe - they violate the clear and unambiguous language of the Constitution - they are illegitimate and the laws / regs /rulings they pass or hand down are illegitimate.

We have a standard. I do not care that the elitists don't agree. They are wrong.

They do not own us. We are not their serfs to be ruled. They are our servants to protect our liberties.

They fear us or we fear them.

I choose the former.

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More Blog Posts by Doug Bandow

http://spectator.org/blog/2009/07/13/sonia-sotomayors-bad-decisions

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