The Blog of the Legal Times reports on the opening day of the debate over the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve on the nation's highest court:
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, began the debate with harsh criticism of the Supreme Court’s five-member conservative majority. He listed several recent cases in which the justices struck down the actions of Congress or other elected bodies, including cases related to employment protections and school desegregation. Sotomayor would be a counterweight to that majority’s “judicial activism,” he said. . . .
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), the Judiciary Committee’s top Republican, said Sotomayor has failed to be objective in cases related to property rights and gun rights.
Democrats are planning a rally today in support of Sotomayor with civil rights, minority and women's groups. A vote on the nomination is expected by Thursday, and the swearing-in ceremony may happen as early as Friday.
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