If Sotomayor is a centrist on some issues the net effect would be to move the court to the right

[usregimechange]

With Sotomayor's view on a number of important issues unknown:

Sotomayor's views on abortion rights are unknown
http://pantagraph.com/articles/2009/05/30/news/doc4a1ea085712ab730326595.txt

Church-State Experts: Sotomayor's Views Unknown
http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/godingovernment/2009/05/church-state_experts_sotomayors_views_are_unknown.html

...the possibility exists for the Supreme Court to move toward the right with Obama's selection overall:



The likelihood of this is I think small but I certainly didn't knock on thousands of doors to end up with a more conservative dominated High Court.

That being said, I am willing to support this selection because I trust Obama's judgment but if the above possibility materializes, it will be the last time.

[Skink]

1. Obama's a centrist too.

I'm hoping he eventually becomes a supreme court justice.

[ClarkUSA]

4. He's no DLC conservaDem; he was a liberal Sen. who is governing from left of center as President.

Voteview.com, a site created by political scientists that plots lawmakers on a liberal-conservative scale based on their voting patterns, calculated there were nine senators more liberal than Obama in the current Congress.

"Obama is a liberal, but he's not the most liberal," said Keith Poole, a University of California-San Diego professor who runs the site.

Link: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/jun/16/Obama-lefty/

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

'“I am not currently, nor have I ever been, a member of the DLC,” said Obama...'

Link: http://www.blackcommentator.com/48/48_cover.html

Unlike previous presidents who were DLC who were painted as liberals while they passed pro-corporate DLC policy, President Obama appears moderate to most Americans while enacting much policy that's actually more liberal than not.

[ClarkUSA]

2. Must Read: "Obama's big win: another liberal on the U.S. Supreme Court"

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/05/27/f-rfa-champ.html

[grantcart]

3. I believe that Sotomayor was aware that she had the right demographics for

SC consideration and has 'toned' down her opinions somewhat in order to be 'confirmable'.


More importantly, the value that any new justice has to the Supreme Court is not in 'voting' on the left but their ability to hold and build 5-4 majorities. We don't need flaming dissentions we need majority opinions. Therefore Sotomayor's opinion and usefulness can be seen as a constituency of exactly one; "How is she going to affect Justice Kennedy". If by taking more moderate arguments she is able to persuade Justice Kennedy and get more 5-4 rulings than a more aggressive argument would have, then she will have done her job.

[usregimechange]

5. That would be great as long as reverse engagement doesn't occur

[blueclown]

6. The Supreme Court often votes in blocs.

On contentious 5-4 issues, I would guess that she will side with Breyer, Ginsburg and Stevens 99% of the time.

[eyesroll]

7. And Souter was far-left on everything?

I don't think replacing a left-leaning moderate (on some issues) with another left-leaning moderate (probably on different issues) will "move the (C)ourt to the right."

[usregimechange]

8. If that is the case you would be right, lets hope it is

[MarjorieG]

9. Similar to Souter but more persuasive; Sonia's task is to affect Kennedy's 5th vote

and change the course it's been on.

[usregimechange]

10. My concern is that the conservative bloc may pick her up more often

on the issues where we are not sure what she thinks.

I trust that Obama was more sure.

[customerserviceguy]

11. Should she be confirmed, she would be the sixth Catholic on the SCOTUS

that's a record high. I guess we're going to learn more about her in the hearings. It would be good for progressive Senators on the Judiciary Committee to ask some important questions, and not just leave the sound bites to the Repukes.

[cali]

12. the more research I've done on Sotomayor, the more convinced I am

that she'll be to the left of Souter.