Hatch brushes aside his 1998 vote for Sotomayor: ‘Now we’re talking about the most important court on Earth.’
Hatch brushes aside his 1998 vote for Sotomayor: ‘Now we’re talking about the most important court on Earth.’
In 1998, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) was one of just seven Republicans to break ranks and approve Sonia Sotomayor for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit. But today on MSNBC, Hatch said that although he found her suitable for the federal bench then, he now might have problems with her:
HATCH: In 1998, for the circuit court of appeals, I did vote for her because I believe in giving the president due deference, especially for circuit court of appeals nominations.
But now we’re talking about the most important court on Earth. We’re talking about the court of last resort. We’re talking about a court that everyone of us takes great interest in. And now we’re talking about a woman who has been in the federal judicial system since 1992, who has all kinds of decisions that she’s made, all kinds of opinions that she’s written, who has written articles, who has spoken in public — all of that has to be looked into.
Watch it:
As Brian Beutler points out, “Hatch cites, among other things, an article Sotomayor wrote in 1996 — two years before he supported her confirmation to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.”
Transcript:
MITCHELL: But let me ask you this, Senator. I mean, first of all, George Herbert Walker Bush first nominated her to the bench.
HATCH: Wait a minute, Andrea. Wait a minute, wait a minute. I was on the Judiciary Committee back then. At that time, district court judges were really effectively chosen by the senate. So in this case, both…
(CROSSTALK)
MITCHELL: OK. I understand both senators from New York –
HATCH: — Senator Moynihan and D’Amato, they had a one-for-one deal, so she was chosen by a Democrat and George Bush — George Herbert Walker Bush really basically had no choice but to appoint her.
MITCHELL: So you’re saying by senatorial courtesy, she was Pat Moynihan’s choice for the court.
HATCH: That’s right.
MITCHELL: Let me ask you about your own — (CROSSTALK)
HATCH: So — but I think the media — (CROSSTALK)
MITCHELL: — in 1998, sir? I mean, you voted for her, did you not? Or do I have that wrong?
HATCH: I think the — No, wait a minute — (CROSSTALK)
MITCHELL: You were one of the seven Republicans.
HATCH: Well, let me just say this. I think the media tries to make something out of that because George Herbert Walker Bush was president. They shouldn’t. She was basically picked by Senator Moynihan, a Democrat.
In 1998, for the circuit court of appeals, I did vote for her because I believe in giving the president due deference, especially for circuit court of appeals nominations.
But now we’re talking about the most important court on Earth. We’re talking about the court of last resort. We’re talking about a court that everyone of us takes great interest in. And now we’re talking about a woman who has been in the federal judicial system since 1992, who has all kinds of decisions that she’s made, all kinds of opinions that she’s written, who has written articles, who has spoken in public — all of that has to be looked into. And it is — it’s done for Republicans. It’s done for Democrats. And it’s the fair way to do it, and I think anybody who doesn’t understand that is saying we shouldn’t do our jobs.
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No, that’s fair. The 2nd Circuit Court and the SCOTUS are two different things. One could be qualified for one and not the other. However, I can’t imagine anything that could qualify you better for the SCOTUS than sitting on the 2nd Circuit Court for the last 17 years…
I’m not going to give any politians crap for “not ruling anything out.” I hope the Senate actually does a fair and deep consideration of her qualifications. I don’t expect them to, but I can still hope.
May 26th, 2009 at 9:39 pmIn 1998, for the circuit court of appeals, I did vote for her because I believe in giving the president due deference, especially for circuit court of appeals nominations.
But now we’re talking about the most important court on Earth. We’re talking about the court of last resort. We’re talking about a court that everyone of us takes great interest in. And now we’re talking about a woman who has been in the federal judicial system since 1992, who has all kinds of decisions that she’s made, all kinds of opinions that she’s written, who has written articles, who has spoken in public — all of that has to be looked into. And it is — it’s done for Republicans. It’s done for Democrats. And it’s the fair way to do it, and I think anybody who doesn’t understand that is saying we shouldn’t do our jobs.
So, what you’re saying, Senator Hatch, is that the confirmation of a lifetime appointment to the federal bench is only important when it’s to the Supreme Court? And you want us to believe that you take your “advise and consent” responsibility seriously?
May 26th, 2009 at 9:41 pmHatch: “…I think the media tries to make something out of that because George Herbert Walker Bush was president. They shouldn’t. She was basically picked by Senator Moynihan, a Democrat.”
He’s making it sound as if anyone that Moynihan had picked, through ’senatorial courtesy’, would have been given a free pass and wouldn’t have been vetted at all. Yeah, right.
And referencing the part that Wayne quoted, it’s not as if Sotomayor’s name hasn’t been bandied about by the Rs for weeks now, so it’s bullshit implying that they still haven’t looked at the decisions she presided over. Again…yeah, right.
May 26th, 2009 at 9:53 pmSounds very lame. Hatch is just making a lame excuse for why he’s going to object to Obama’s nomination of Sotomayor.
May 26th, 2009 at 9:56 pmHatch is his own worst enemy because he pokes holes in his own credibility. Hormiga (above) has it right. Hatch must have to take lots of sleeping pills.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:11 pmHatch is a dooshbag.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:14 pmObama made a great pick! Get the popcorn popping, sit back, and watch the death of the GOP.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:16 pmDid someone suggest that the Supreme Court was unimportant and that no one should vet candidates? What is all this carrying on about? THE MOST IMPORTANT COURT ON EARTH! The ONE who is most qualified!
May 26th, 2009 at 10:23 pmBefore we pontificate on this further, anybody who hasn’t seen the video, here it is – Obama’s introduction, and Sotomayor’s acceptance.
Note that Obama lays out a bulletproof case for her qualifications, with the “life experience” angle being just emotional icing on the cake. Incredibly moving emotional icing, but icing nonetheless. He nails down exactly why nobody should ever even consider blocking her nomination up front based solely on hard-headed qualifications, before laying on the gushy stuff. Which he then proceeds to do, Obama-style: have a hanky ready.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:26 pmno right winger is going to mess with my mood tonight
‘ere rehearsal went great and my new solo album was just released: https://www.createspace.com/1759774
whoohoo
May 26th, 2009 at 10:26 pmShorter Hatch: “That’s different!”
*eyes rolling*
May 26th, 2009 at 10:27 pmRantingTommy Says:
no right winger is going to mess with my mood tonight
‘ere rehearsal went great and my new solo album was just released
Congrats! Now I know what I’m drinking for tonight!
I was wondering…
May 26th, 2009 at 10:30 pmTommy, congrats, I’m really happy for you! :D
May 26th, 2009 at 10:34 pmHey Tommy, is this you? Anything “Tom Jones” related is kind of hard to Google for.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:35 pmCongrats Tommy!
May 26th, 2009 at 10:38 pmRantingTommy Says:
no right winger is going to mess with my mood tonight
‘ere rehearsal went great and my new solo album was just released: https://www.createspace.com/1759774
whooho
Congrats! Just checked out your site and played “Don’t try this at home”. Great work!
May 26th, 2009 at 10:39 pmCongrats Tommy. It’s a big accomplishment when any artistic work reaches the market. Well done.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:42 pmOh man “Evil McNasty”. I’m no jazz follower but I hear Dave Brubeck in that song. Awesome tunes!
May 26th, 2009 at 10:43 pmHatch can have his opinion, but really he should do what his constituents desire.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:50 pmHatch is full of bull and out of touch in reality. Hatch could have nominated the Easter Bunny for all we know. It doesn’t matter if Obama nominated Homer Simpson or if the nominee sneezed wrong, Hatch, the member of the Party of No, will something wrong or object to any of Obama nominees to the White House and judicial courts.
May 26th, 2009 at 10:51 pmCongrats, RantingTommy! Woo-Hoo!
May 26th, 2009 at 10:59 pmCongrats Tommy. As for Hatch, did we really expect anything else from a Republican? As for the GOPs comparing her to Harriet Myers, WTF? Sotomayor is far more educated and respected. So, bring it on GOP! Go ahead and trash the woman, as the women and the Hispanics in this country flee from you in droves.
May 26th, 2009 at 11:04 pmThats great Tommy.
May 26th, 2009 at 11:07 pmSo basically Hatch is saying that Sotomayer was good enough to preside over unimportant federal appeals cases but she’s not good enough to decide, you know, the big stuff. I’m sure those who came before her all these years are pleased to be demeaned by Hatch in such a way.
Way to go, Tommy! Will you still remember us when you’re famous? Don’t forget your TP fan base when you accept that first Grammy!
PEACE
May 26th, 2009 at 11:13 pmBut now we’re talking about the most important court on Earth. We’re talking about the court of last resort.
So…? What is Hatch trying to say, exactly? What is he so worried about?
Funny how Republicans are oh so concerned with competence now, after throwing their lot, unconditionally and for eight long years, behind the most disastrous, incompetent presidency in recent memory.
May 26th, 2009 at 11:41 pmGregor Samsa Says:
So…? What is Hatch trying to say, exactly? What is he so worried about?
That a Latina will tailor her decisions to her background to the same degree that all those old white guys already do.
.
Gregor Samsa Says:
Funny how Republicans are oh so concerned with competence now…
Mind you, nobody has been able to say anything against her competence so far. Ferchrissakes, Thomas is the most incompetent person in the judiciary, much less the SCOTUS – and yet there he is.
May 26th, 2009 at 11:52 pmUhhh, she’s the most qualified in the past 70 years! Clarence Thomas is the one who got affirmative action.
May 27th, 2009 at 12:48 am“the most important court on earth” man.. what sheer ARROGANCE.. to many people in the world what the American Supreme Court does matters not one whit and the courts in their own countries are much more important to them.. (does Hatch really think someone in France, or Spain, or Australia, or Canada, considers the U.S. Supreme Court more “important” that the Supreme Court in their own country?? — IDIOT…..)
May 27th, 2009 at 12:55 amkali90 Says:
“the most important court on earth” man.. what sheer ARROGANCE..
In India there has been a long tradition of the Supreme Court taking up the slack from both other branches of government, often to the point where it is considered to rule the country without them. India is a pretty important country. Therefore, the Indian SCOTUS could very well be described as “the most important court on Earth.”
Besides, if U.S. SCOTUS folks aren’t supposed to be “activist,” then it’s not that important, is it?
May 27th, 2009 at 1:38 amYou people seem to be quick to support but there are some facts that should be considered, regardless of what Hatch says (someone rightly pointed out that he, as all Congressmen, you vote on behalf of his constituency):
*Sotomayor has gone on record as an activist jugde who believes she should “make policy” from the bench.
* A hight number of her rulings have been overturned, and a case can certainly be made that her past rulings have been average at best…
*She’s gone on record that she feels she is more qualfied to interpret the constitution because she is a minority woman, which is a very worrisome statement indeed. Would you approve a white male judge who said he was more qualified because of his race and gender?
There are MANY other qualified candidates. The position is worth taking the extra effort to find the very best for the job.
May 27th, 2009 at 2:45 amI always thought Orrin Hatch talked like a lawyer for the mob: He really believes they’re not that bad.
I think the woman is a great choice. Great to finally have a Hispanic woman recognized as a accomplished legal mind.
Anglo from El Paso.
May 27th, 2009 at 3:50 amThere are MANY other qualified candidates. The position is worth taking the extra effort to find the very best for the job.
PaulMorphy Says
No thanks, I’ll stick with Sonia.
May 27th, 2009 at 6:02 amThanks for your concern, though.
Tell that to the Democrats in Congress who won’t give us a single-payer healthcare system.
Da Banksta:
May 27th, 2009 at 6:40 amhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNW4t_rcBxY
There are MANY other qualified candidates. The position is worth taking the extra effort to find the very best for the job.
Clarence Thomas. Nuff said.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:15 amBut now we’re talking about the most important court on Earth. We’re talking about the court of last resort.
No, that would be the Hague. God, these American exceptionalists make me sick.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:17 amOrrin Hatch used to be the drug czar and believed that the key to stopping drug use was to pack our jails with non-violent drug users.
He has ZERO credibility
May 27th, 2009 at 7:21 amPaulMorphy
YOU people ought to know that you are brainwashed and your post is the warmed over talking points you have been TOLD to believe and regurgitate on command like the good little Limborg hiveminder you are. She is NOT on record saying they should make policy from the bench. THAT is a lie she is also NOT on record saying she is more qualified to interpret the constitution because she is a minority that is ANOTHER lie. So either you are a LIAR or you dont know what you are talking about. I would explain both those quote you told LIES about but it has already BEEN done and I tire of shredding idiocy to just have it come back by lazy late to the dance dittobots. Try getting some dim idea what you are talking about then get back to us.
May 27th, 2009 at 7:57 amSorry if it’s already been posted, but Media Matters has dug up a Bush senior quote that explodes the “empathy” meme:
After graduation from Yale Law School, he worked for then Missouri attorney general John Danforth, and spent 2 1/2 years litigating cases of all descriptions. In 1977, Judge Thomas practiced law in the private sector, and in 1979, he rejoined Senator Danforth as a legislative assistant in the U.S. Senate. In 1981, President Reagan appointed him Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the Department of Education. From 1982 to 1990, he served as President Reagan’s Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. And I appointed him to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1990.
I have followed this man’s career for some time, and he has excelled in everything that he has attempted. He is a delightful and warm, intelligent person who has great empathy and a wonderful sense of humor. He’s also a fiercely independent thinker with an excellent legal mind, who believes passionately in equal opportunity for all Americans. He will approach the cases that come before the Court with a commitment to deciding them fairly, as the facts and the law require.
Judge Thomas’ life is a model for all Americans, and he’s earned the right to sit on this nation’s highest Court. And I am very proud, indeed, to nominate him for this position, and I trust that the Senate will confirm this able man promptly.
Heh.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:00 am“we’re talking about the most important court on Earth.”
It may once have been but they lost that with Bush v Gore!
The US lost it’s claim of being the most important anything while following Bush Doctrine! The slide continues as Bushbama continues to follow Corporatists and ignores the crimes of past administrations.
With any luck we will learn how much more important the Hague is…
May 27th, 2009 at 8:24 amHatch HAS to be opposed to the nomination. It’s in his genes. It’s a Utah obligation to think only one way. He and his buddies continue to walk down that lonesome road. It’s like gun control…”If we let them take away our machine guns then it won’t be long before they come after hunting rifles!” Since she will get confirmed anyway the Republi-cons can appease their frozen minded 23%. GOP-RIP.
May 27th, 2009 at 8:47 amThe old
May 27th, 2009 at 11:18 am“that was then, this is now” excuse.
Elections have consequences. This nominee will be confirmed, Hopefully in short order. The idiot Republicans that oppose her based on idiocy, innuendo, and hidden anti latino race issues will drive the hispanic and independant minded voters further from the GOP in 2010 and 2012. The GOP should let her breeze by and go on to another topic. We understand the “base” hates mexicans, but they (the gop) already has the base, they need the moderates. Bashing Sotomeyor wont help their cause. If they dont play it right, they could lose thier asses in the southwest. Even Texas could be in play if they dont play nice in the sandbox.
May 27th, 2009 at 1:01 pmThank you…
seslisohbet seslichat sesli sohbet sesli chat
May 27th, 2009 at 9:33 pmPaulMorphy Says:
*Sotomayor has gone on record as an activist jugde who believes she should “make policy” from the bench.
No she hasn’t. What she said was that the Circuit Courts were where policy gets made. She then said that she was against that. You are lying.
.
PaulMorphy Says:
* A hight number of her rulings have been overturned
Exactly 3 out of over 400 cases she has decided have been overturned. You are lying.
.
PaulMorphy Says:
…and a case can certainly be made that her past rulings have been average at best…
No, such a case can not be made. It certainly has not been. You are lying.
.
PaulMorphy Says:
*She’s gone on record that she feels she is more qualfied to interpret the constitution because she is a minority woman, which is a very worrisome statement indeed.
No, what she said is that she hopes that as a Latina she could give better opinions specifically on racial discrimination cases, and then went on to note that many white males have given excellent rulings regarding racial discrimination cases. You are lying.
May 27th, 2009 at 10:09 pm