Sotomayor in Senate

Senate judicial committee is hearing Sonia Sotomayor’s opinion on judicial decision makings. She seems to be very well prepared to pass this stage. What is interesting is the Republican’s strategy. They know, and they have explicitly said, that she will get the confirmation. But as this paper in NYTimes suggests, Republicans set the stage for future moves. They pushed her to explicitly say that she is NOT in favor of a living constitution, as liberals believe.

“By forcing Judge Sotomayor to retreat from Mr. Obama’s desire for justices with “empathy,” Republicans have effectively set a new standard that future nominees will be pressed to meet. The Republicans hope their aggressive questioning of Judge Sotomayor on race discrimination, gun control and the death penalty will make it harder for Mr. Obama to choose a more outspoken liberal in the future.”