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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: greenspirit who wrote (112077)5/28/2009 2:19:11 AM
From: Wharf Rat  Respond to of 541853
 
ILSOIAPIMP.
And not only that, she has the dread "empathy" disease.


Flashback: George H.W. Bush On Clarence Thomas' 'Great Empathy'
By Brian Beutler - May 27, 2009, 9:49AM
Conservatives have curiously decided that one of the best ways to battle Obama's first Supreme Court nominee is by declaring a war on empathy. When he described his criteria for selecting a replacement for Justice David Souter, Obama said, "I will seek someone who understands that justice isn't about some abstract legal theory or footnote in a casebook, it is also about how are laws effect the daily realities of peoples lives.... I view that quality of empathy, of understanding and identifying with peoples' hopes and struggles, as an essential ingredient for arriving at just decisions and outcomes."

This is, apparently, a bridge too far for conservatives, and, at least in the minds of some on the right, political gold. But while they continue to mock the idea--and while the media by and large passes their objections along uncritically--they seem to have forgotten that one conservative Justice was also sold to the public as a man of great empathy.

"I have followed this man's career for some time," said President George H.W. Bush of Clarence Thomas in July 1991. "He is a delightful and warm, intelligent person who has great empathy and a wonderful sense of humor."

The Thomas confirmations ultimately became the stuff of legend--but not because Democrats decided to go all in on attacking Thomas' "empathy."
tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com

Try this; it will resonate with my SDA friends

Sotomayor confirmation would mean Catholics hold 2/3 of Supreme Court seats
By A. James Memmott
May 27, 2009 at 11:27am
Should Sonia Sotomayor be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice, six of the nine members of the court will be Roman Catholic.

“That is a remarkable accomplishment for American Catholics,” wrote the Boston Globe, “who make up 23 percent of the nation’s population, and will now potentially hold 67 percent of the high court’s seats.”

The presence of so many Catholics also represents a significant shift from the very early days of the court when there were no Catholics and a majority of the justices were Episcopalians or Presbyterians.

Roger B. Taney became the first Catholic justice, when he was named chief justice in 1836.

From that time until 1988, with the arrival of Anthony M. Kennedy, there were never more than two Catholics on the court at any one time.

Kennedy, who still serves on the court, joined fellow Catholics Antonin Scalia, who also still serves, and William J. Brennan Jr., who retired in 1980.

In addition to Kennedy and Scalia, the Catholics on the court now include Clarence Thomas, Samuel A. Alito Jr. and Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.

Sotomayor, nominated Tuesday by President Barack Obama, would replace retiring Justice David H. Souter, an Episcopalian.

The other members of the court are John Paul Stevens, a Protestant, and Stephen G. Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, both of whom are Jewish.

The Catholics on the court more often than not vote together. However, they often seem to arrive at their decisions from different starting points.

Court historians also point out that religion is no predictor.

Two Catholics, Brennan and Scalia, were polar opposites. Brennan led the liberal wing when he was on the court. Scalia is a conservative leader now.

It is predicted that Sotomayor might vote with the more liberal justices, if confirmed, but she has been described as “moderate” by some observers.

The Boston Globe suggests Sotomoyor’s “Catholicness” will be the subject of debate, as people attempt to determine “how Catholic is she.”

The White House told blogger Steven Waldman that “Judge Sotomayor was raised as a Catholic and attends church for family celebrations and other important events.”

Raised in the South Bronx, Sotomayor attended Catholic schools growing up, graduating from Cardinal Spellman High School.

Three of the other justices, Scalia, Thomas and Roberts, graduated from Catholic high schools.

Scalia and Thomas also went to Catholic colleges, Scalia graduating from Georgetown University and Thomas graduating from the College of Holy Cross.

The presence of Sotomayor on the court would represent a gain for Yale Law School, bringing its number of current justices to three, Thomas and Alito also having gone to Yale.

Harvard Law School would see a drop in its numbers with Souter, a graduate, stepping down.

Still, Harvard Law would have the most graduates on the court, with Kennedy, Scalia, Brayer and Roberts having attended that school.

Stevens and Ginsburg, graduated from the University of Chicago Law School and Cornell University Law School, respectively.

news.muckety.com