Judge Sotomayor Confirmation Hearings: Final Anaylsis

It's over, the grueling and grilling of Judge Sonia Sotomayor by the Senate Judicial Committee for her confirmation hearings as the next Supreme Court Justice. And what did we learn from the 30^th time one of the Republican senators asked Ms. Sotomayor about her "wise Latina woman" statement? That perhaps, she is indeed, a wise Latina woman!

Despite the most stringent efforts on the part of the Republicans, Ms.Sotomayor stayed on message, was able to calmly and deliberately weigh each question poised to her and offer an equally calm and deliberate response. Mrs.Sotomayor looked and sounded like a Supreme Court justice. Her answers were thoughtful and attempted to show her juidicial style and belief.

When asked about her ability to weigh judicial matters impartially without influence from her personal beliefs, she stated emphatically and strongly that she would apply the law as written and use legal precedent.

When asked by Tom Coburn, R-Okla., if she thought that the national controversy over Roe v. Wade had ended, she gave her shortest answer of the confirmation.

After pausing and thinking for a moment, she said, "No."

That was the shortest remark of the day, as each senator on the committee used this final day of questioning to use the televised hearings to make their own viewpoints heard, perhaps for their constituents watching or perhaps because a senator can't help grandstanding!

The most anticipated remarks of the day came when Witnesses Frank Ricci and Lt. Ben Vargas of the New Haven Fire Department were interviewed on the recent discrimination case that Judge Sotomayor had ruled against and the Supreme Court over threw the ruling, declaring that indeed reverse discrimination had prevailed in their case.

The results of the questioning was anti-climatic as both firefighters stopped short of pointing an accusing blaming finger at Judge Sotomayor. In fact, no one in the hearing could present a clear or valid reason why she should not be confirmed and thus she will be. No news there.

So what did these four days of questioning do for the American people? I hope they presented to them, if they watched and listening closely, a view of an American woman who will serve them well.

When asked by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn, what history would think of her, Sotomayor answered, "I can't live my life to write history's story....I hope it will say I'm a fair judge, I was a caring person and that I lived my life serving my country."

I believe in the final analysis that she will indeed.