Senate Vote Confirms New Supreme Court Justice

68-31, which does not include John McCain. Congratulations soon-to-be when sworn in on Saturday, Associate Justice Sotomayor!

Video: In the Supreme Court Nominee Hearings, Justices Alito and Roberts were so much better than Judge Sotomayor

Yep. That's what Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) thinks. All I got is alrighty then.

Video: The Day in 100 Seconds

Wednesday, Sotomayor, back in the hot seat, wise Latina, mountain out of a mole hill, wise Latina, my words failed, didn't work, do you stand by your words?, it fell flat, still concerned about wise Latina, judges, change the law, interpret certain laws, please educate me, personal self defense, yes or no, do we have that right, threatened, use force to repel, I'm gonna come get you, get a gun, come back and shoot you, may not be legal, lots of 'splainin' to do, I'd be in a lot of trouble then, enormous pride that you are here, goosebumps, I'm not an expert in marijuana growing, good humor, influenced so greatly by a television show, Perry Mason, I've been focusing on your mother, she has a lot to say, don't give her the chance, recess, Judge? Whatja do with your mother?, short break, Senator Franken, you mentioned Perry Mason, I was a big fan, great show, South Bronx, Suburban Minneapolis, here we are, pretty cool

Your Weekly Radio Address

From The White House Blog:

Friday, May 29th, 2009 at 11:59 pm

Weekly Address: The Experience of Judge Sotomayor

The President discusses the breadth and depth of experience held by his nominee for the Supreme Court. In the course of a life that began in a housing project in the South Bronx and brought her to the pinnacle of her profession, Judge Sonia Sotomayor accumulated more experience on the federal bench than any incoming Supreme Court Justice in the past 100 years, touching nearly every aspect of our legal system.



read transcript

La Raza, the "Latino KKK without the hoods or the nooses"?

Republican Tom Tancredo, has been on television telling us all how bad Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court is because of membership in La Raza, which Tancredo decries is a racist Hispanic organization, referring to La Raza as the "Latino KKK without the hoods or the nooses".

But as this video of both President Bush and John McCain publicly praising La Raza illustrates, the only comparison involving the KKK that Tancredo should make is between himself and a Grand Wizard. source: Jed Lewison at DK

To be fair, Mr. Tancredo isn't the only one making extreme claims about Judge Sotomayor.

Via Think Progress (by way of BarbMD at DK):

SHUSTER: Mr. Tancredo, do you agree that the Obama administration hates white people?

TANCREDO: Oh [sighs], I don’t know. But I’ll tell you this –

SHUSTER: You don’t know? In other words, they might?

TANCREDO: What do I — I have no idea whether they hate white people or not!

There's also G. Gordon Liddy.

He calls her a racist too. Keep it up guys.

LIDDY: Let’s hope that the key conferences aren’t when she’s menstruating or something or just before she’s going to menstruate. That would really be bad.... source: C & L

Supreme Court Nominations: Creating a 'Hot Button Issue'

This was the closing paragraph from the post at Think Progress. I'm thinking it should be at the beginning for this post.

Remember, Tancredo is the lawmaker who called Miami a “third world country” because of the number of Latinos there, criticized presidential candidates for “pandering” by participating in a Spanish-language debate, and accused immigrants of “pushing drugs, raping kids, and destroying lives.” He said the issue of immigration is “whether we will survive.”

On The Ed Schultz Show, former Republican House member Tom Tancredo said that he doesn't care about the IQ of Judge Sotomayor, and he hasn't read any of the cases she ruled on, but because of remarks she made during a speech (the context of which brings a slightly different dimension to the words that Tancredo rattles off), she's a racist.

For more on the speech in question, see also below the video.

Creating a 'Hot Button Issue'

There is also analysis of the context of Judge Sotomayor's remarks that is being largely left out of this television discussion (because they can and nearly have to because of time constraints, commercials, and trying to talk over each other) which Media Matters addresses:

In fact, contrary to the suggestion that Sotomayor was commenting on the general judicial ability of Latinas and white men, Sotomayor was talking specifically about "race and sex discrimination cases." From Sotomayor's speech, delivered at the University of California-Berkeley School of Law and published in 2002 in the Berkeley La Raza Law Journal: read more here

Yesterday in 100 seconds

It is Tuesday, Breaking News, It is Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court Justice, The Nominee, I'm excited too, I've decided, inspiring woman, great Justice, I strive never to forget, real world consequences, ordinary person, opportunities and experiences, what a moment, only in America moment, very difficult, go after her, with her credentials, twofer, a woman and a Latina, gonna gun her down, tough target, Liberal jurist, compelling life story, Hispanic woman, I've always be pro-woman, lack of intellectual depth, summa cum laude, Editor of Yale Law Review, intellectual candle power, Republicans will oppose her at their peril, risen from poverty, is she an activist judge?, feeling above the rule of law, President Obama chose her, Judge Sotomayor saved baseball, warm consideration, It's Sonia

Video: President Obama introduces supreme court nominee Sonia Sotomayor

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Yesterday in 100 Seconds

Friday, we have a long way to go, step-by-step, new steps, stepping stone, new future, supreme court nominee, just shrill, what did the speaker of the house know, why am I saying but but but, pants are on fire, pooh poo poo poo, you were briefed, I was there, you're an idiot, get off the show, Star Trek fans rejoice, Darth Vader, terrorism, iconic American symbol, Statue of Liberty, reopened, goose bumps, hope and optimism, what about Mom, Moms are priceless, my babies, from sea to shining sea

Yesterday in 100 Seconds

Friday, May Day, High Drama in the Highest Court, Vacancy, Spartan Life Style, This is Kinda Cool, Incredible Service, Speculation Begins, Serious Responsibility, The Name Game, The Nerd Superbowl, I Am So Excited!, Easy E, Sharp Independent Mind, Excellence, Integrity, David Souter's Tie, I'll Smoke On It, There Are Other Names, Give Me Some Names, Quite A Woman, How 'Bout A Hispanic, Quite A Two-For, Wear Your Mask Today, This Is A Lot Of Fun,

President Obama crashes press briefing with news of Justice Souter retirement

Supreme Court: The 'F' word is still banned

From the SCOTUSBLOG.com:

Splitting 5-4, the Supreme Court upheld the government’s power under existing law to ban the use on radio and TV of even a single four-letter word that is considered indecent — but left open the question of whether the ban might violate the First Amendment, at least in some situations. The Court, in an opinion by Justice Antonin Scalia, said the Federal Communications Commission’s switch in policy to ban even a fleeting use of such a word was “entirely rational” under the law that governs federal administrative powers.

The opinion referred to the banned words as the “F-word” and the “S-word” but not go on to fill out their actual spelling. Justice Scalia also did not spell them out in his oral announcement of the decision.

I wonder if the justices ever swear. I know I do now and then, but I try not to unless it's a really special occasion where the use of the word will be rendered meaningful.

Supreme Court Upholds Conviction In Guns Case

Justice Ginsburg, fresh off of surgery for pancreatic cancer delivers this opinion.

The Supreme Court upheld Tuesday the spirit of a federal law, making it harder for a domestic violence offender to possess a gun. The question was whether the gun ban imposed on such offenders applied when the state law they were convicted under did not only apply in domestic violence cases. source: All Things Considered - NPR.org

For transcript of the opinion of the court - click here.

Ginsburg, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Stevens, Kennedy, Souter, Breyer, and Alito, JJ., joined, and in which Thomas, J., joined as to all but Part III. Roberts, C. J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which Scalia, J., joined. source: FindLaw.com