Sotomayor Details Finances, Key Cases

[Frank Booth]

Source: Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON -- Seventeen years on the federal bench have left Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor with about $32,000 in the bank, nearly $16,000 in credit-card debt and an additional $15,000 in outstanding dental bills, according to documents filed with the Senate Thursday.

Nine days after her nomination, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals judge sent the Senate Judiciary Committee a 172-page response to a committee questionnaire, along with a 129-page appendix, detailing her education and employment history, her legal work and judicial opinions, her financial worth and the Supreme Court selection process.

Asked to name the 10 most significant cases over which she presided, Judge Sotomayor chose high-profile sports issues and tough-on-crime decisions. The first case she chose was her 1995 preliminary injunction that ended the Major League Baseball strike. No. 2 was her rejection of a lower-court ruling allowing Ohio State University running back Maurice Clarett to buck the National Football League's age restriction and enter the draft early.
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White House officials said one reason Judge Sotomayor didn't have more in savings was her generosity to family and friends, especially her mother.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124413031577885411.html#mod=whats_news_free?mod=igoogle_wsj_gadgv1

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I look at this as another reason to be optimistic about the Sotomayor nomination. It's nice to see a nominee who can relate to the economic situation of regular people.

[Bette Noir]

1. Poor Judge Sotomayor.

$15,000 in dental bills represents a lot of pain. I know how much my dentist can hurt me for only $200 or $300.

[Frank Booth]

2. Yeah, that must have been more than a few root canals.

Ow.