President Barack Obama has nominated federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor as a U.S. Supreme Court justice to replace retiring justice David Souter. To become a member of the Supreme Court, the U.S. Senate will now have to confirm her nomination. Click here to read an article about this nomination, and then respond in writing to one or more of the following questions:
Why do you think the Constitution requires the U.S. Senate to confirm the president's appointments of federal judges?
Do you think it was important and/or desirable for the president to nominate a woman? a Latina? Why or why not?
Why might Senate Republicans feel they need to "tread lightly" during her confirmation hearings?
2 comments:
Hey Mrs. Stotler, I will be in your class next year for AP World History.
In my opinion, I think that President Obama made a good choice in picking Sonia Sotomayor. She is a very different from the “typical” judges that are chosen. She is younger and can give a woman’s point of view on an issue and she can also bring change to the Supreme Court.
Of course the Republicans will have problems with Obama’s pick. I think that if Sotomayor wasn’t a democrat they wouldn’t have a problem with her being nominated. They would mostly likely respect her new perspective. For example, the Republicans heavily supported Senator Sarah Palin when she ran for vice president. I felt that she had little experience for the job.
I feel as if this was the Presidents way of telling the United States that times are changing. As with the nomination for Presidency, questions were posed. A woman President? A black President? It seems anything is possible at this point.
I believe he found it desirable to see that more women are known and found a place in the system. America’s ideals are changing and we are an example to the rest of the world, as that example Obama wants to show the world what he can’t just tell them. More people everyday want to see women running things, some feel it only right since women were denied rights for so long (and are still today in some places around the world). Others have that “Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.” attitude.
It all depends on where you stand though. Women tend to have different points of view then men, but I find nothing wrong with a change. This has been a world of men too long! And being a woman myself, I agree with putting women in charge, see what they can do that men cannot accomplish.
Obama has also addressed women’s rights (see http://georgia.barackobama.com/page/content/womenissues) among many other issues and for those who read Obama’s Speech in Cairo, remember that it said major sections of his address covered women’s rights. For here in America though, I am specifically referring to the Fighting for Pay Equity. Obama can see that woman are not given equal chance to participate in this free country, why can’t the rest of America?
I also think it is his desire to spread culture throughout the system, not sticking to one race in charge of one aspect of the United States. As brought up in the article, there were racist comments argued and I interpret that as the people who are trying to prevent a rise in a multi-cultural government. It is low to ‘suggest Sotomayor is a racist’ and ‘brand her an activist who would impose her own views and ethnic and gender biases on her interpretation of the law and the Constitution’. To outright indicate that ‘equal justice under law’ was under attack just because a Latina woman was nominated to enter the Supreme Court! An overreaction on their part, they are blowing this way out of proportion. They are making a big deal of nothing, something people seem to like doing lately. Of course Sotomayor, coming from a different background, is going to use her own views and gender to come to her conclusions but does that mean that justice is in danger? No! If anything justice has an even better chance of being wrought. In America, a multi-cultural land, don’t you think having one race in charge of bringing justice to all people is kind of well- unjust?
Obama has the right idea. If you want others to change, change yourself first. If Obama is going to reach out to other countries then he’s going to have to change his own nation first, so yes. Of course he found it desirable to nominate a woman, especially a Latina, such as Sotomayor.
Post a Comment