Associate Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor got some pushback over her use of the phrase, "wise Latina," in various public speeches she had made, and was called on to explain what she meant by it during the Senate confirmation hearings that would seat her on the High Court in 2009. I remember that there was no surfeit of ridicule over it from those on our side of the aisle. To refresh your memory, here was her vexing quote from a 2001 speech:
The judge explained during her testimony that she was trying to impress on the students that their life "experiences would enrich the legal system. I was also trying to inspire them to believe they could become anything they wanted to become, just as I have," she said. But during questioning by then-Senator John Kyl (R-AZ), "Sotomayor admitted it was a poor choice of words," calling it "a bad idea." At this point, Sen. Kyl pressed Sotomayor on why "[she] did not also talk much about the need for those future judges to set their prejudices aside." It's a solid criticism of far-left progressives like the Justice, including among the politicians who are supposed to represent us when they're in Washington, D.C. Ever since former President Donald Trump and the Republican majority in the U.S. Senate turned the Supreme Court back from its wayward slouch towards progressivism, Democrats and others among their party's far-left have tried to tear down the credibility of the Court, especially conservatives like Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, over decisions they abhor. Here is just a smattering of RedState's stories on that, including the ridiculous, nothingburger stories about flags: Related: Sheldon Whitehouse Threatens the Supreme Court, Gets Reality Checked Into the Ground Clarence Thomas Unleashed: Calls DC a 'Hideous Place' Where 'People Pride Themselves in Being Awful' Biden Attacks Clarence Thomas in New Interview—but Accidentally Levels Himself SCOTUS Declines High School Affirmative Action Case; Alito, Thomas Issue Scorching Dissent Biden, Democrats Rejoice Over Supreme Court Stay on Abortion Pill Case as Alito, Thomas Dissent Getting back to Justice Sotomayor, she's been somewhat embattled herself from some on the left, as my colleague Brittany Sheehan wrote recently, trying to push her to step down from the bench so that President Biden can nominate a younger leftist to take her place. On Friday, Justice Sotomayor spoke during an event honoring her at Harvard University--and she gave some surprisingly wise advice to progressives who still haven't recovered from their crying jag over recent conservative-majority Supreme Court decisions. While she did not single out any specific cases, it's not difficult to guess she meant ones like Bruen and Roe, among others. Sotomayor told the members of the Harvard audience to essentially pick themselves up and get over it:
She continued:
Sotomayor also spoke about the need to be collegial with others, especially anyone with whom you vehemently disagree on important issues--including her fellow Justices, saying that "[d]isagreeing about ideas doesn’t make another human being evil or bad,” but it's difficult. That's definitely a lesson many on the left, including at Harvard, could bear to hear and reform themselves on. She also shared a touching anecdote about her mother, from around the time Sotomayor was nominated for the SCOTUS, according to the NY Times:
Did the Justice talk about progressive ideals, many of which conservatives strongly disagree with? Of course. But I feel like she laid out a model for how faculty, students, and possibly future lawyers and judges should deal with those with whom they disagree: To accept it and move on, like an adult. This is how the government branches in our Republic are supposed to work, at their best. For that alone, she deserves kudos for imparting that truly human message. One way to combat the nonsense, misstatements, and incompetence from the Biden administration, the Democrat Party, and their allies in the radical left, is to support RedState through our VIP membership program. Day in and day out, our contributors make sure to bring you all the damning details that the mainstream media either can’t or won’t — and having the protective shield of VIP over our work lets us pour out as much truth as readers can handle. Another way to go is to take a spin with VIP Gold to enjoy the stories and podcasts at all of our great Townhall Media sites: PJ Media, Twitchy, Hot Air, Bearing Arms, and Townhall.com.We look forward to welcoming you to the team of loyal supporters. Whichever option you choose, VIP is your oyster! Related: Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse Demands Investigation of Justice Samuel Alito's 'Improp |
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