Sotomayor Perhaps Can't Be Stopped But Must Be Opposed

A couple of useful perspectives on Judge Sotomayor:

Newt Gingrich

Gingrich decries 'racism,' Sotomayor - Washington Times: "'Imagine a judicial nominee said, 'My experience as a white man makes me better than a Latina woman.' New racism is no better than old racism,' Mr. Gingrich wrote on Twitter, which he uses regularly to discuss politics or promote his television appearances."

The Washington Times Editorial Page

EDITORIAL: A judge too far - Washington Times: "If Mr. Obama wanted a judge with the right 'empathy,' he struck out with Judge Sotomayor. One of the white firefighters denied promotion, Frank Ricci, is dyslexic. In order to ace the promotion exam, he quit a second job, spent $1,000 for instruction materials, and spent many hours reading those books into an audio tape to help him study. For his extraordinary efforts, he finished sixth out of 77 applicants for promotion - but then was denied, simply because he is white."

The Washington Times piece is the perfect illustration of the absolutely faulty thinking behind the President's search for a judge with empathy. Almost by definition, an empathetic judge is a bad judge. I don't want judges deciding cases based upon whose situation tugs at their heartstrings. Clearly, in the Ricci Case, Sotomayor had empathy for the black firefighters who didn't pass the exam. Apparently, she has no empathy for Mr Ricci. And the primary basis for where her empathy lies is race. That sounds like the definition of racism to me.