Constituent Response From Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison

This is the emailed response I received this AM from Sen. Hutchison regarding Sonia Sotomayor and her approval process to the SCOTUS.

Dear Friend:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United State Supreme Court. I welcome your thoughts and comments.

As a member of the U.S. Senate, I have been privileged to participate in the confirmation of four Supreme Court Justices, including that of Chief Justice John Roberts. The Constitution requires the Senate to “advise” the President on who will best uphold our Constitution in the nation’s highest court and to provide “consent” to the candidates who take the bench. Senators have a constitutional responsibility to carefully consider each nomination. This is a duty that I take seriously.

There are some facts we already know about Judge Sotomayor. Through personal tenacity and hard work, Judge Sotomayor overcame many challenges to study at some of the nation’s finest institutions, and embarked on a successful career as a district attorney, private practice attorney, and finally a federal judge. Her life story is a shining example of equal opportunity for Americans, and it reminds all of us that for those who work hard, no obstacle is insurmountable and no aspiration is too grand.

While there is no question that Judge Sotomayor brings a wealth of judicial experience to this process, we would be doing the American public and Judge Sotomayor a disservice if we did not conduct a thorough review of her record. This year, Senators will pore over thousands of documents and analyze more than 3,000 decisions that comprise the experience of Judge Sotomayor. I will be looking for evidence of impartiality as well as legal expertise, a demonstrated commitment to the rule of law, insights into her personal integrity and temperament, and, most importantly, her judicial philosophy.

As I review Judge Sotomayor’s record, one of the issues I will consider is her demonstrated stance on the Second Amendment. I am a staunch supporter of the right to keep and bear arms, and I firmly believe that the framers intended this right for the individual. This opinion was upheld by the Supreme Court last year in the case of District of Columbia v. Heller. Judge Sotomayor joined an opinion earlier this year that suggested that the Second Amendment is not a fundamental right, and is therefore not binding on the states. I hope to learn more from the judge about her Second Amendment beliefs during her confirmation hearings. With this issue potentially coming before the Supreme Court, it is critically important we confirm a Justice who believes the Second Amendment is a fundamental individual right so that no state or city, nor the federal government, may ever infringe on this liberty.

As the Senate examines Sonia Sotomayor’s record – and gives her ample opportunity to address our concerns – I expect a respectful, dignified, and above all, fair process that befits our Constitutional responsibility. I appreciate hearing from you, and I hope that you will not hesitate to keep in touch on any issue that is important to you.

Sincerely,
Kay Bailey Hutchison
United States Senator

Well thank you all to high heaven and back for that insightful letter Senator Obvious.

Sen. Hutchison appears to think that SHE is the only one that knows how the process works. And evidently, her explanation is supposed to serve as a method of placation for the unwashed and ignorant masses.

Senator, we KNOW what the process is. We KNOW what must be done. We know HOW it’s done. Many of us are political science majors. Many of us are simply political junkies. Regardless, we KNOW what the nuts and bolts of this Senatorial theatrical performance are. America is watching this comedy play out before our eyes and we KNOW the consequences of a bad choice in an appointment to the Supreme Court.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor stoutly denied racial bias Tuesday at her Senate confirmation hearing and said an oft-criticized remark about her Hispanic heritage affecting judicial decisions was a rhetorical device gone awry.

An attempted play on words “fell flat” in a speech in 2001, Sotomayor told Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., referring to remarks in which she suggested that a “wise Latina woman” would usually reach a better conclusion than a white male.

“It was bad because it left an impression that I believed that life experiences commanded a result in a case, but that’s clearly not what I do as a judge,” Sotomayor said.

Sessions, the senior Republican on the Judiciary Committee, sounded unconvinced.

Full Story Here:
Sotomayor denies bias in ‘wise Latina’ remark

Sen. Sessions isn’t the only one that is unconvinced. For anyone that doesn’t know about the remark made by Sotomayor, this is the exact statement.

“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,”

I don’t understand how anyone could see ANY bias in Sotomayor’s words. There is no way that anyone could possibly construe them as sexist or racist. Surely not. I mean, we must ALL be looking at Sotomayor through UNWISE WHITE MALE goggles. How could that possibly be a biased statement? Yes, that IS sarcasm!

I will say again, and I hold no reservations in doing so, if Sen. Hutchison votes for the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court of this United States, Sen. Hutchison will be committing political suicide with ANY that are, or consider themselves to be true Conservatives.

I don’t want a RACIST on the U.S. Supreme Court, a racist of any color, gender or sexual orientation. We, THE PEOPLE, don’t need a RACIST on the highest court in this land, but I fear that is exactly what we’re going to get if Sotomayor is approved, and somehow, I get the distinct impression that Hutchison may be looking at a vote for Sotomayor.

That kind of crap might play if you’re a no talent idiot hack Senator from Minnesota and your constituents are a bunch of idiotic libbers as well, but Sen. Hutchison needs to remember this, Texas isn’t Minnesota, we don’t elect Saturday Night Live rejects to the U.S. Senate and we’re NOT a bunch of libber idiots that drool all over the pages of The Daily Kos.

But sadly, and I mean that sincerely, sadly I fear that the FIX is already in.

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