With so many years on the bench and, other than Ricci, no record of really terrible decisions, she’s probably the least harmful nominee we could expect from this President. Everyone who can count knew from day one that Judge Sotomayor would be confirmed. The only thing the hearings accomplished – if they accomplished anything – was to make her pledge to be more empathetic to those for whom she might not otherwise have natural empathy, i.e., those who aren’t Latinas. What the hearings showed is that, while she may be liberal, she is not particularly radical and she is not especially articulate or persuasive. Thus, for Republicans, she’s a great choice because, if her public performance is an indication, she won’t be convincing any of her 8 colleagues on the Supreme Court to change their views. She’s a good replacement for the bland Souter.
