Activist Sotomayor not Judge Sotomayor

Judge Sonia Sotomayor more of an activist than a Supreme Court Judge. At a lecture in 2001, Sotomayor stated, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life." At the same event, she also stated, "Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences, our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging.” Imagine if a white male judge had said that because he had never experienced racism in his life he was better able to make decisions on racism, because he would not be bias. The gender or national origin of a judge should not matter in their decision making. A judge’s decisions should be made on the facts of the case and the laws pertaining to that case. In 2005, Judge Sotomayor said that “All of the legal defense funds out there, they're looking for people with Court of Appeals experience because it is --Court of Appeals is where policy is made.” Policy and law is never made in any courtroom. Policies and laws can only be made by the legislature and the courts are to interpret the laws and make rulings based on those laws. She has made it clear that judges should change laws based on what they think is right or wrong from their own experiences of life.

Another example of her being more of an activists than a judge is that she has been overruled by the Supreme Court 80% of the time. She has also been reprimanded by Clinton Appointee Hispanic judge, Jose Cabranes. Judge Cabranes rebuked in writing Judge Sotomayor for opinions that she wrote that had no bearing on the constitutional issues before her in the case that was being decided. Jeffrey Rosen, the legal affairs editor at the New Republic writes, "Her opinions, although competent, are viewed by former prosecutors as not especially clean or tight, and sometimes miss the forest for the trees. It's customary, for example, for Second Circuit judges to circulate their draft opinions to invite a robust exchange of views. Sotomayor, several former clerks complained, rankled her colleagues by sending long memos that didn't distinguish between substantive and trivial points, with petty editing suggestions--fixing typos and the like--rather than focusing on the core analytical issues." (Information found on rushlimbaugh.com)

Sonia Sotomayor is more of an activist than she is a judge. She is more concerned about her personal views and opinions, than she is about truth, justice, and the Constitution. Policy and laws are not to come from the bench of our courts.