Pollster.com

I'd have preferred a non-judge, but I'm okay with the pick.

I'd like to see a question asked to the 47% who like the choice if they can name 2 or 3 accomplishments or decisions she made they agree with....I'd bet a haggle of hay they cannot name any....

Well, there's the baseball one, and the New Haven one.

You're probably right though. All in all, she seems pretty centrist, from my perspective anyway. Pretty much a straight up replacement for Souter in terms of ideology.

Well she is certinaly no centrist. But I don't mind Obama picking a liberal justice, he won the election and we all knew he would appoint liberal justices, just as Bush appointed conservative ones. Its a perk you get when you win the whtie house.

I do not like her racial comments on latina women vs. white males...nor her rulings on 2nd ammendment rights....nor the firefighter case....she is definatley no centrist....but Obama has every right to appoint a liberal!

@ Stillow,

Perspective makes all the difference, given that I'm pretty far to the left on most issues and by most measures.

@ Bob

Just curious, why would you prefer a non-judge? It seems to me like the ideal person to fill a SCOTUS vacancy would come from the court of appeals.

@ Stillow

I'll bet another haggle that those who dissaprove are either ignorant of her career (and thus don't like her merely because Obama picked her) or have suddenly become "experts" in the last 3 days based on their ability to digest a handful of weak talking points.

The fact is that only a very small percentage of the population is actually qualified to discuss how good or bad this pick is in informed and rational terms (and that applies to the 47% who approve as well).

@sjt22

If Sotomayor is confirmed, which is all but assured, it will mean that for the first time in history all the Justices will come from the Court of Appeals. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing unto itself, but it gives the court the appearance of being somewhat insular and inward looking.

I think that a nominee should have some experience with the law, but maybe a governor or private litigator could add some additional perspectives.

@sjt22

I have not studied all her cases, the ones conservatives are pointing out are definately ones I disagree with her judgement on. also that video clip of her saying policy is made from the bench at least should make everyone pause...all to often right and left judges impose policy making instead of consitituional interpratation.
I really really do not like her stance on gun issues though....but like i said, there was no question obama would appoint a more liberal judge, that was just a given...and president searn that right by being elected, I would not oppose her nomination if I were a senator, but I certianly owuld point out some of her questionable judgement calls.......and they do exist, you cannot dismiss them to weak talking points, just from what I have seen, many of her decisions would not be supported by a majoirty in this country....I thought the latina woman vs. white male comment was absolutely racist in nature...had John roberts said that in reverse he would not have gotten a single vote....so there are deifnatley some issues with her, but Obama earned the right to choose her and the people knew that when they voted for him that he would probably get one or two justices to appoint.

@sjt22

"The fact is that only a very small percentage of the population is actually qualified to discuss how good or bad this pick is in informed and rational terms..."

If you mean that most of us did not know who she was until Pres Obama nominated her, I will agree. Probably 1 in 1000 follow the judiciary close enough to recognize who she is and know what her track record is. But after hearing some of her statements and rulings, I feel that the large majority of Americans are indeed qualified to discuss the pros and cons of this nomination. Not that it makes any difference. She is likely to be confirmed by a wide margin, unless there is more out there that I am not aware of.

I have to agree that the latina vs white male statement would have been a deal breaker if it had been said in the reverse by someone nominated by a Rep. Pres. But I am sure she will get a pass on that in the Senate. PC dictates that she does.

I am also bothered if she really said there is no constitutional right to own a gun. That is like saying there is no constitutional right to vote or to equal protection. It's lunacy.

@ bigmike

I wouldn't go that far. Even now that she's "known" , she's only known in the way that the administration or the opposition have chosen to try and frame her career. Even with full information, most americans simply do not understand the law, the judiciary, or what makes a good or bad Supreme court justice.

As for her supposed "racist" comment, its much ado about nothing. She gave a speech in which she said that, as a judge, she draws on her life experience as part of her decisions. As a latina female, she obviously has a different life experience than a white male judge. I challenge everyone to actually READ the speech she gave and view the supposed horrible comment in context of what was being said.

Its also interesting that when another recent SCOTUS nominee (Alito) said something almost identical about life experience playing a role in his judgements, no conservatives even mentioned it.

@ Stillow

The "policy made from the bench" comment is also much ado about nothing. She was explaining to law students how district court differs from appeals. She said that district courts deal only with the case in front of them, while appeals must take a wider view because their decisions will actually set precdent. No one with any legal experience or knowledge finds this to be a crazy statement. One legal scholar compared it to saying that the "sun rises in the east".

I giave you kudoes for sticking up for obama's pick, but you are simply being intelectually dishonest here. The racist statement ahd making policy statement, I promise you and would bet everything I own, if a conservative judge said those two comments the left would be out to kill them and would be raising a huge fuss.....its all politics, even the scotus is subject to american corrupt politics. I read the speech and yes it is a racist comment, it would have been racist if roberts said it.....to say otherwise is just blind support for her. She has real issues, but as I stated above, obama has the right to choose a liberal justice and hte people will ultiamtely get what they voted for.