Saturday, August 22, 2009

In the News

Before kids, I used to be a huge news buff - Fox News 24-7. I even framed a picture of myself in front of Fox's main broadcasting building in NYC. But 2 kids later ... by the time the boys are asleep at night I catch the last 8 minutes of House Hunters on HGTV before I hit the shower. Thankfully I subscribe to a monthly publication of the Christian Law Association which keeps me in the know of news from the judicial sector (which is all I care about in the news anyway). The following is a excerpt from The Legal Alert that I found most interesting, intriguing and inspiring.

Justice Sotomayer

Please pray for Justice Sonya Sotomayer as she begins her service on the United States Supreme Court. Although Pres. Obama appointed her because she would be "empathetic", i.e., would rule based on her feelings rather than following the law, during her confirmation hearings, Justice Sotomayer repudiated the President's view of the law and said that despite her previous statements to the contrary, she did not believe that judges should make law from the bench or issue rulings based on feelings of empathy. In fact, as she was questioned by members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, at times Sotomayer sounded almost like a strict constructionist on the order of Chief Justice Roberts. It is hard to know which Justice Sotomayer will actually appear on the Supreme Court bench. Ironically, she was appointed to the Second Circuit federal court by President George H.W. Bush, who had also appointed Justice Souter, the liberal justice she will succeed. Although seemingly a solid liberal vote on many issues, liberals have good reason to wonder what her views will be on abortion and school choice. America's first Hispanic Justice and its third female Justice, Sotomayer's family sent her to a private Catholic school rather than to her neighborhood public school so that she could receive a better education.