JURIST - Paper Chase: Obama warns against partisanship in Sotomayor confirmation process

[JURIST] US President Barack Obama [official website] rebuked [text; video] Republicans who would oppose his nomination of Sonia Sotomayor [WH profile; LOC materials] for the US Supreme Court [official website] Saturday in his weekly address. The president predicted failure for "those in Washington who are attempting to draw old battle lines and playing the usual political games, pulling a few comments out of context to paint a distorted picture of Judge Sotomayor's record." Praising Sotomayor's experience and wisdom, Obama said:

Even as she has reached the heights of her profession, she has never forgotten where she began. She has faced down barriers, overcome difficult odds, and lived the American dream. As a Justice of the Supreme Court, she will bring not only the experience acquired over the course of a brilliant legal career, but the wisdom accumulated over the course of an extraordinary journey – a journey defined by hard work, fierce intelligence, and the enduring faith that, in America, all things are possible.

Obama said he recognize Sotomayor would face a rigorous confirmation process, but hoped Congress would "avoid the political posturing and ideological brinksmanship" that marked past confirmation hearings.

Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions [official website], the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee [official website], said Wednesday that he does not anticipate a filibuster [JURIST report] against Sotomayor's nomination. Obama announced [press release; JURIST report] Sotomayor as his nomination for the Court on Tuesday. If she receives Senate majority approval, Sotomayor, currently a judge on the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit [official website], would replace Justice David Souter [official profile, PDF; JURIST news archive] when he retires [JURIST report] at the end of the current term. She would be the first Latino and the third woman to serve on the Court. Earlier this month, Senate Republicans expressed their interests [JURIST report] in having a Supreme Court nominee who would impartially apply the law.

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