Despite a recent Gallup poll finding that 64% of Americans said it didn’t matter to them whether the next Supreme Court justice is a woman, President Obama nominated a female to replace retiring Justice David Souter. The president’s nominee, Judge Sonia Sotomayor, could be the Court’s third female and first Hispanic justice.
While much of the speculation leading up to the nomination suggested that the president would choose a woman, many Supreme Court watchers were surprised that the president selected one of the most controversial candidates on the so-called short list of potential nominees.
Indeed, the question now before the Senate and the American public is whether Sotomayor will get a “pass” on rigorous debate and thorough review of her record simply because of her gender, ethnicity and “empathy.” Washington Times Senior Editorial Writer and Columnist Quin Hillyer emphatically argues she should not.
In an interview held on the eve of the nomination announcement, Mr. Hillyer joined CFIF’s Renee Giachino to discuss whether gender, life experiences and ethnicity should matter in the selection of a Supreme Court justice. Mr. Hillyer further discussed the Senate’s role in the confirmation process and whether then-Senator Obama’s votes against Justices Roberts and Alito would plague confirmation of his nominee.
What follows is the interview originally heard on "Your Turn - Meeting Nonsense With Commonsense" on WEBY 1330 AM, Northwest Florida's talk radio…[Listen to the interview here.]