Hearings for Judge Sotomayor

Do the hearings for Supreme Court nominée Judge Sonia Sotomayor begin today? 

I read this:

As Judge Sotomayor begins her hearings today, I wish her well.  Conservatives certainly know how ugly these proceedings can become, and although we may oppose her based on philosophy or jurisprudence, we hope for a vigorous but decent debate.  That said, here’s my post from the other day regarding what the Left may do to firefighter Frank Ricci and why her nomination is worth opposing, if only as a loyal opposition.  Elections have consequences, but it’s our obligation and privilege, really, to debate activist judges and the rule of law during this process.  America needs to have this conversation.

I, too, think we should should have a "vigorous but decent debate".  

Let’s have all the issues brought out into the public square and discussed.

The only problem is that when facts are brought up, those who bring them up are often accused of indecency, incivility, unreasonableness… demonizing.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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16 Comments

  1. Peggy says:

    By the way, I am wondering if an anti-Catholic backlash–might start from the non-Catholic Left–is in the making. I saw this article this morning raising concerns about there being 6 Catholics on SCOTUS if Sotomayor is approved:

    http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/07/a-yawn-greets-catholic-court.html#more

    Further, I’d think that KKT’s triumphant article that Obie is their American pope and that he’s implementing a Catholic agenda could contribute to others on the left–and possibly some on the right (I’d suspect Huckabee of involvement in that)–raising concerns about the Catholic influence on American policy. [I do think the evangelical right see more common cause with Catholics in areas of basic morality than the non-Catholic left sees ties with Catholic social justice.]

  2. Tim Ferguson says:

    I saw that article regarding the potential of six Catholic justices and thought that regardless of how faithful each of the Catholic justices are to the teachings of the Church, it is nevertheless remarkable that we could soon see a Supreme Court with only one white Anglo-Saxon Protestant sitting (and with Stevens at age 89, how much longer is a reasonable question to ask).

  3. Liam says:

    Don’t be surprised if the next GOP president nominates a Mormon. I don’t count Mormons as Protestants, but in that region of Christian-inspired religion that includes Christian Science, old-fashioned Universalism and some old-fashioned versions of Unitarianism that were basically Arianism with Protestant flavoring.

    Next up would be an atheist, as secularism is perhaps the fast growing major segment of cosmological thinking. Just imagine an Objectivist on the court – Objectivists belief in courts if not much of the rest of the government….

    In the more distant future, we’ll probably have a Muslim and a Hindu, as those religious groups are growing fast in this country.

    Anyone wanting to know the religious affiliation of past SCOTUS members can find it handily gathered here:

    http://www.adherents.com/adh_sc.html

  4. Alban says:

    Liam – the point is the nominations do NOT reflect the demographics of the US; religious or otherwise. This is why the 6 “Catholic” judges is so astounding. I really don’t think we need to worry about a Pagan (Mormon, Hindu) or Mohammedan justice anytime in our lifetimes.

  5. Maureen says:

    Nobody worried when it was all Episcopalians.

  6. Gilbert says:

    President Obama has conservatives are on the run. The Notre Dame/President Obama event was a tremendous victory for Mr. Obama. President (and First Lady Michelle) Obama’s audience last week with His Holiness was a tremendous victory for Mr. Obama (and Michelle Obama, as she accorded great respect to His Holiness).

    Unlike various conservatives, Rome has treated President Obama with great respect. Rome and key Churchmen have presented Mr. Obama as a respectable, reasonable man which, in turn, has solidified Mr. Obama’s hold upon Catholic voters.

    The Pope’s latest Encyclical is a victory for President Obama and defeat for conservatives. His Holiness and Mr. Obama clearly share much in common regarding economics. If anything, Pope Benedict XVI and President Obama hold capitalism in little regard. That isn’t surprising as traditional Catholic attitudes regarding capitalism (and we know Mr. Obama isn’t keen on capitalism) aren’t favorable.

    The right-wing’s (within and without the Church) strategy to portray President Obama as radical, anti-Catholic and a threat to capitalism has flopped in Rome and among many Churchmen.

    Given all of the above, I believe that President Obama will secure another victory over conservatives as Judge Sonia Sotomayor is destined to serve on the Supreme Court.

  7. Peggy says:

    I apologize if I change the intent of this comment thread in an undesirable way, Fr Z.

    Gilbert, KKT\’s triumphalism aside, I don\’t know how the Obama/B16 event can be a victory when of course the pope meets heads of state all the time, including those with whom he disagrees. Did you think B16 would throw Obie out the door on his ear? US presidents meet popes regularly. The pope met separately with many newer leaders on the scene at G8. Besides, the pope pointedly gave Obama \”Dignitas Personae\” in addition to his new encyclical. While the encyclical can hardly be called a free market manifesto, it is not at all Obama\’s dream come true either. It is not a statist agenda. Further, the new encyclical has regard for the human person at its center, which Obie doesn\’t agree with, we have seen.
    I also appreciate Mrs. Obama respecting protocol, as she’s wont to disregard such standards.

  8. Johnny says:

    Gilbert, there’s also the fact that the Pope and Obama share the same open approach to Islam. They both reject the conservative’s approach to Islam. So the current Vatican sees Obama as a great friend in holding Islam is high regard and wanting to work with Islam.

    And the current Vatican is also pleased that Obama is an African-American President. Although Obama’s mother is white, which means he can be said to be a European-American President as much as an African-American President. But the current Vatican has gone to lengths to emphasize that they wish to see him as and honor him as an African-American President.

    Obama is very useful to the Vatican when it comes to dealing with Africa and with Islam. So Obama is forging a great relationship with the Vatican. He and they share similar views on the economy, women’s rights, Africa, Islam and a host of issues.

    Obama is a perfect match with Catholics, so his standing among Catholics will keep on soaring. So don’t expect Obama to have any trouble getting Sotomayor appointed to the big court.

  9. Peggy says:

    Johnny:

    Obama and the pope agree on “women’s rights”? Even if you just mean in Islam, I haven’t heard Obie express any concern for women’s rights there. Obie is “a perfect match with Catholics” who don’t believe their faith.

    Sotomayor’s eventual appointment has more to do with the fact that the GOP only has 40 votes in the Senate than any factors related to Catholic voters.

    So, I guess Obie’s your pope rather than Benedict XVI?

    Sorry, I guess you’re a troll and I should simply quit while I’m ahead.

  10. LCB says:

    Obama does not share the Pope’s view on Islam. You are incorrect.

  11. Monroe says:

    For some bizarre reason, LCB said…………………….”Obama does not share the Pope’s view on Islam. You are incorrect.”

    No, you are incorrect and monumentally uninformed on this issue. Any number of important officials inside and outside the Church who are involved in Islamic issues (example: Father James Massa) have said there’s a “remarkable convergence” between the Pope and Obama on Islam.

    Archbishop Wilton Gregory (Atlanta) leads the U.S. bishops’ committee for inter-religious affairs. Bishop Gregory has also insisted that the Pope and President Obama have a great deal in common with their approaches to Islam.

    The president hadn’t even left the building in Cairo before the Vatican spokesperson, Fr. Federico Lombardi, expressed “great appreciation” for the speech back in Rome. Lombardi called it “very important,” not just for relations between the United States and Islam, but for international peace. Meanwhile, L’Osservatore Romano called the speech “a new beginning in relations between the United States and the Arab world,” and Vatican Radio enthused that the speech “exceeded expectations” and created “the foundation of a real common platform.”

    Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta, Georgia, who heads the U.S. bishops’ committee for inter-religious affairs, was equally upbeat, highlighting similarities between Obama and Benedict.

    “The president’s address touches on many important points that were made by Pope Benedict XVI during his recent visit to the Holy Land. Both the pope and president concur that a dialogue of civilizations must supplant the specter of a clash of civilizations … All Catholic Americans who hope for a more secure world, and peace among the religions, can feel grateful that the president underscored the indispensable role of religion in advancing educational, economic, and scientific goals.”

    John Esposito, director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, is impressed by the convergence on Islam that exists between the Pope and Obama.

    But LCB, I guess that you’re right. You are correct and the experts on the Pope/Obama Islamic issue are wrong.

    Sorry Bishop Gregory and Father Massa, LCB is correct and you men don’t know what you’re talking about.

  12. Mark says:

    Peggy, you’ve missed the point on Obama’s meeting with the Pope. Yes, the Pope holds audiences all the time, but few have made the amazing splash as the President’s meeting with the Pope. You obviously are unware of the extent that the Vatican went to accomodate the President. You also seem unaware of the incredibly favorable reviews that Obama received from Vatican movers and shakers and the American and European press.

    Finally, to prove that Obama scored an incredible victory with Catholics (most important, Catholic voters), all we have to do is read the following statements from the Knights of Columbus’ Supreme Knight Carl Anderson: “On the Meeting Between Pope Benedict XVI and President Barack Obama”:

    NEW HAVEN, Conn., July 10

    “It is obvious that President Obama has a serious interest in engaging in a meaningful dialogue with the Catholic Church, and with Catholics, who make up one fourth of the U.S. population. President Obama clearly had much to gain from a successful meeting with the Pope.

    “Certainly this is another achievement for Vatican and American diplomacy and represents a positive development for those of us who hoped that this meeting might mark a new opportunity in the important relationship between the Catholic Church and U.S. government.

    “This is an important moment. The pope and the president have laid the foundation for trying to achieve authentic common ground.

    “We applaud President Obama for showing sensitivity to the growing consensus among the American people favoring the right to life, restriction of abortion, and the protection of conscience.”

    Again, this is a huge success for President Obama.

  13. Gilbert says:

    According to Mark

    “Peggy, you’ve missed the point on Obama’s meeting with the Pope. Yes, the Pope holds audiences all the time, but few have made the amazing splash as the President’s meeting with the Pope. You obviously are unware of the extent that the Vatican went to accomodate the President. You also seem unaware of the incredibly favorable reviews that Obama received from Vatican movers and shakers and the American and European press.

    Finally, to prove that Obama scored an incredible victory with Catholics (most important, Catholic voters), all we have to do is read the following statements from the Knights of Columbus’ Supreme Knight Carl Anderson: “On the Meeting Between Pope Benedict XVI and President Barack Obama”:”

    Great post. Peggy is in denial. But that figures when she referred to President Obama as “Obie.” Fortunately, the Pope is a serious and civil man and would never follow Peggy’s lead by trying to defame President Obama, a man who occupies the secular world’s most important stage and is securing an excellent relationship with the Vatican and bishops.

    It is shocking that Peggy attempted to portray the incredibly important and highly successful meeting between the Pope and President Obama as an everyday, hum-drum affair. It was anything but that.

    President Obama keeps on scoring big-time points with Catholics and continues to solidify his hold on Catholic voters.

  14. Henry says:

    “the following statements from the Knights of Columbus’ Supreme Knight Carl Anderson: “On the Meeting Between Pope Benedict XVI and President Barack Obama”:
    “It is obvious that President Obama has a serious interest in engaging in a meaningful dialogue with the Catholic Church, and with Catholics, who make up one fourth of the U.S. population. President Obama clearly had much to gain from a successful meeting with the Pope.

    “Certainly this is another achievement for Vatican and American diplomacy and represents a positive development for those of us who hoped that this meeting might mark a new opportunity in the important relationship between the Catholic Church and U.S. government.

    “This is an important moment. The pope and the president have laid the foundation for trying to achieve authentic common ground.

    “We applaud President Obama for showing sensitivity to the growing consensus among the American people favoring the right to life, restriction of abortion, and the protection of conscience.”

    Does the Supreme Knight really believe what he said?

  15. Peggy says:

    The activity engaged in was called “diplomacy”. Presidents and popes come and go. Yes, the Vatican agreed to a p/m meeting, which was unusual. The Vatican is not going to turn away the president of the U.S.A. regardless of who he is. Obama was not admitted into the Vatican because he is Obama the Great, but because he was elected President of the United States. Obama is important b/c he’s the president, not because he’s some great man on his own. I am aware of the Euro press being in sync with Obie b/c he is not Bush and he’s more statist than any other US president before him–well, maybe FDR, excepted. Obie and the pope may share some geo-political interests, but I am unaware of any real alignment on specific issues besides a 2-state Israel-Palestine goal. The pope seemed to be aware of Obie’s lack of regard for human life. So, he hadn’t fully bamboozled the Vatican, I’d say. How was this Vatican meeting more successful than any with either Bush pres, or Clinton, or Reagan? Why is it so “historical”?

    I don’t respect Obama for a variety of reasons which are too many to enumerate here. He’s no friend of freedom, human life, or the Church–or even the U.S. He’s bamboozled many, many dissenting, wishy-washy Catholics in this country. He could not have gotten elected without them. Obama has some great interest in the Catholic Church. I don’t quite know why. Alinsky found Catholics in Chicago to be great tools for his radical agenda; perhaps Obie’s doing that on a national scale. Further, the Church is the strongest moral authority in the world and has to be weakened, at least within the states, for Obie’s agenda to succeed.

    I’m so sorry I can’t see this man’s greatness for what it is to you Gilbert and Mark. I guess I am so flawed and weak…

  16. James the Less says:

    In the context of the politics of empathy, has the nominee or any of her
    supporters expressed empathy for the unborn?

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