Sonia Sotomayor Confirmed by Senate Judiciary Committee

The Senate Judiciary Committee has voted largely on partisan lines to approve the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to be the first Hispanic woman Supreme Court Justice. Senator Lindsey Graham was the only Republican to vote in favor of Sotomayor.

The full Senate will vote on Sonia Sotomayor on August 7^th. With sixty Democrats in the Senate, the confirmation of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court is all but assured.

Senator Graham's vote to confirm Sonia Sotomayor to become a Justice of a Supreme Court illustrates the question many Republican Senators face. Sonia Sotomayor certainly has a judicial philosophy that is far to the left of what is considered the mainstream. A judicial nominee who was as far to the right as Sotomayor is to the left would certainly be met with bitter opposition from Senate Democrats. Gender and race would have no bearing on that opposition. The reader should just ask Robert Bork or Clarence Thomas if this fact is doubted.

Yet it is suggested that if Senate Republicans vote against Sonia Sotomayor or express opposition to her, they risk alienating Hispanic voters. Lindsey Graham certainly mentioned this as part of a justification for his vote.

There are a number of problems with this conclusion.

First, while no doubt some Hispanics would express alienation at Republican opposition to any Hispanic nominee, one would suspect that those would be the sort of Hispanic voters who would disinclined to vote for a Republican anyway.

Second, the supposition suggests that Hispanic voters in the United States are monolithic. They are not, even by national origin. Cuban Americans, for instance, tend to be more conservative than Mexican Americans or Puerto Ricans. All tend to be somewhat more socially conservative than the typical liberal Democrat.

Third, the idea has not even been tested with polling, so far as is known. Gallup or Rasmussen have not polled Hispanics on the question: Would a Senator's vote against Sonia Sotomayor make you more likely or less likely to vote for that Senator or would it make no difference?

The results of that question, correlated by party affiliation and political persuasion, might be illuminating.

In any event, Democrats seem to be free to risk alienating minorities by savaging minority nominees to the courts at will. Clarence Thomas was subjected to hostile questioning and trumped up charges of sexual harassment that were so odious that it should be considered racist. Indeed, African Americans were initially sympathetic to Justice Thomas. But, after several months, as the Democrats and their allies in the media pounded the narrative of Thomas as an extremist, a sexual harasser, and a traitor to his race, that support evaporated. Thomas's only satisfaction is that he is on the court for life and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

As will be the case for Sonia Sotomayor.

Source: Senate Judiciary Votes, 13-6, For Sotomayor, Hotline, Juy 28th, 2009