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babylonsister

(170,964 posts)
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 02:08 PM Feb 2013

Sotomayor, Kagan ready for battles

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-sotomayor-kagan-ready-for-battles/2013/02/27/ee1fa09e-812f-11e2-a350-49866afab584_story.html?hpid=z5

Sotomayor, Kagan ready for battles
By Dana Milbank, Published: February 27


For a quarter-century, Antonin Scalia has been the reigning bully of the Supreme Court, but finally a couple of justices are willing to face him down.

As it happens, the two manning up to take on Nino the Terrible are women: the court’s newest members, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

snip//

The styles of the two Obama appointees are different. Sotomayor is blunt and caustic, repeatedly interrupting. In an opinion this week, she harshly criticized a Texas prosecutor for a racist line of questioning. She has been on the interview circuit publicizing her memoir.

Kagan is choosier about when to interject herself, but she’s sardonic and sharp-witted. (“Well, that’s a big, new power that you are giving us,” she said, mockingly, when a lawyer tried to argue that the justices should overrule Congress’s discrimination findings.)

Both are more forceful than the Clinton appointees, the amiable Breyer and the frail Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The two new justices are sending a message to the court’s conservative majority: You may have the votes, but you’re going to have a fight.


snip//


Scalia was not about to surrender his title of worst-behaved justice. He mocked the civil rights law as he questioned the government lawyer. “Even the name of it is wonderful,” he said. “The Voting Rights Act: Who is going to vote against that?” (Verrilli cautioned him not to ignore actual votes of Congress in favor of “motive analysis.”)

But Scalia’s mouth was no longer the loudest in the room. When the Alabama county’s lawyer returned for his rebuttal, he managed to utter only five words — “Thank you, Mr. Chief Justice” — before Sotomayor broke in.
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SoCalDem

(103,856 posts)
1. Two vs the rest will not win the argument
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 02:15 PM
Feb 2013

Our SCOTUS is as broken as the rest of government.

and no one dares to fix it.


A country the size of ours, and one whose politics is as razor sharp as ours is, should have a 21 person SCOTUS..

all 21 "choose" cases taken, but a random draw for the 9 who deliberate would cut down on the politics of it all


and we should have a minimum/maximum for ages...and NO pensions EVER

60 minimum
75 maximum

also, no book-writing/.speechifying/etc.. while they serve.

 

bettyellen

(47,209 posts)
5. Sotomayor's memoir is inspiring, but conflict of interest is something that should be looked at.
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 03:02 PM
Feb 2013

And it's not. Corporatist shit heads.

RudynJack

(1,044 posts)
12. I would have to strongly disagree
Fri Mar 1, 2013, 04:26 AM
Mar 2013

Why should 60 be a minimum? Why 75 the maximum? I can't think of any decision that was wrongly decided because a particular justice was too young or too old.

And 21? How would that ensure any better outcomes than we currently have? I can see arguments that certain circuits are too large (9th, e.g.) and should be broken up, but the basic notion that more justices would give us better decisions is suspect, to me. It would also tie up the Senate.

And no pensions? Why? It's not an issue now as most justices die on the bench, or retire shortly before death. This will save us... what? A few hundred thousand - maybe a couple million? What purpose does it serve?

Whenever I hear people talking about changes being made to the court, they're consistently talking about getting decisions they like. That's a terrible reason to change the rules regarding the court. I may be old-fashioned, but I think the court usually gets things right, and when they fuck up, it gets corrected later. Never on the schedule I'd like, but eventually. Our system of government is annoying that way.

NewJeffCT

(56,827 posts)
2. Good for them
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 02:15 PM
Feb 2013

I'm glad these two women have the backbone to stand up to Scalia and his bullying.

I just hope one of the Far-Right Five have to make an exit over the next 2-3 years so Obama can replace Thomas, Robert, Alito, Scalia or Kennedy with somebody equally combative.

elleng

(130,156 posts)
3. Good to see this BUT
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 02:29 PM
Feb 2013

gotta say how angry it gets me to see, regularly, and on DU too, references to Ruth B G's alleged 'frailty!' REALLY pisses me off!!! She's short and slender, and she speaks deliberately.

Watch this:



elleng

(130,156 posts)
4. AND
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 02:53 PM
Feb 2013

'Sotomayor allowed the lawyer for the Alabama county seeking to overturn the law to get just four sentences into his argument before interrupting him. “Assuming I accept your premise — and there’s some question about that — that some portions of the South have changed, your county pretty much hasn’t,” she charged. “Why would we vote in favor of a county whose record is the epitome of what caused the passage of this law to start with?”

Moments later, Kagan pointed out that “Alabama has no black statewide elected officials” and has one of the worst records of voting rights violations.

Scalia and Justice Samuel Alito tried to assist the Alabama county’s lawyer by offering some friendly hypotheticals, but Sotomayor wasn’t interested in hearing that. “The problem with those hypotheticals is obvious,” she said, because “it’s a real record as to what Alabama has done to earn its place on the list.”

Sotomayor continued questioning as if she were the only jurist in the room. “Discrimination is discrimination,” she informed him, “and what Congress said is it continues.”

At one point, Justice Anthony Kennedy tried to quiet her. “I would like to hear the answer to the question,” he said. The lawyer got out a few more sentences — and then Kagan broke in.'

---------------------------

This MAY be a case wherein the Justice assigned the role of drafting dissent from 'majority,' assuming majority goes against us at the Conference, ends up having the dissent finally prevail OVER the erstwhile majority. Justice Ginsburg recited recently that this occurred once when SHE had job of drafting 'dissent,' which later became the opinion for the majority.

meow2u3

(24,745 posts)
6. I lurrrve seeing two women giving bully-boy Scalia a punch in the mouth
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 03:54 PM
Feb 2013

Put that punk in his place, ladies!

blueclown

(1,869 posts)
7. Can't wait for Justice Sotomayor's dissent.
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 03:58 PM
Feb 2013

I hope it's the opinion of the court, but I am doubtful.

Hope she authors an opinion that is forceful and holds no punches. Screw making friends on the court.

Bake

(21,977 posts)
8. I've always thought Justice Ginsberg and "Nino" (aka Fat Tony) Scalia were a little too cozy
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 04:37 PM
Feb 2013

They're fast friends outside of Court. I wonder how that happened. Nothing about Scalia says "charm." Boyish? No. Boorish? Absolutely.

Bake

elleng

(130,156 posts)
9. Their families have shared holiday meals.
Thu Feb 28, 2013, 06:12 PM
Feb 2013

They've both been on the Court for many years, and share common experiences.

Justice Ginsburg is smart enough to avoid estrangement when doing so might make her job more difficult.

She is charming and wise.

RudynJack

(1,044 posts)
13. I think Justice Ginsberg
Fri Mar 1, 2013, 04:34 AM
Mar 2013

is both charming and incredibly smart.

Befriending Scalia may be just wise politics. I don't know the man, maybe outside his judicial views, he's OK. I have no idea. But they have to work together in the most rarefied judicial atmosphere on the planet. I don't begrudge such comity.

Bake

(21,977 posts)
14. I'm not knocking Justice Ginsberg at all
Fri Mar 1, 2013, 10:41 AM
Mar 2013

She is incredibly smart and charming. I just don't get the whole "Nino thing." Maybe it's smart, maybe it's just politics, but I don't get it. I couldn't do it. The man is a pig who has no respect for the Constitution and hides behind his so-called "original intent" facade.



Bake

Hekate

(90,202 posts)
11. More and more we see that these women were great picks for the High Court!
Fri Mar 1, 2013, 04:14 AM
Mar 2013

I think some feathers are being ruffled, and about time!

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