Showing posts with label Sonia Sotomayor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sonia Sotomayor. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Sotomayor Nominated
President Obama nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court this morning! I've already noted that I think Sotomayor is the best choice from the field, but we'll see how the vetting process goes.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
A Justice for All
Supreme Court Justice Souter has officially announced plans for retirement following the current court term and the search for candidates to fill the vacancy on the bench are underway.
The difference between justice candidate chatter now as opposed to in February, when Justice Ginsberg underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer, is that we know for certain that an Obama appointment to the Supreme Court is eminent whereas in February it was speculative. And surprisingly, or not, conservative talking heads have already begun their partisan spew before any nominations have been made. Gah.
The media is tossing about several names for the shortlist, though the White House has not officially commented on any of them. In the running are:
Jennifer Granholm (Governor of Michigan)
Elena Kagan (Solicitor General)
Harold Hongju Koh (Dean, Yale Law School)
Kim McLane Wardlaw (Federal Justice, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals)
Janet Napolitano (Secretary if Homeland Security)
Deval Patrick (Governor of Massachusetts)
Johnnie Rawlinson (Federal Justice, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals)
Sonia Sotomayor (Federal Justice, 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals)
Kathleen M. Sullivan (Professor, Stanford Law School)
Leah Ward Sears (Chief Justice, Georgia Supreme Court)
Diane Wood (Federal Justice, 7th Circuit Court of Appeals)
I hope that the Obama nominee will be a moderate and I still think that Sotomayor is the best choice for nomination as I think she'll appeal to both sides of the aisle.
It's interesting that Senator Spector switched party affiliations last week trading in his well-worn R for a shiny new D. Specter is quoted as saying "I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party." His voting record supports his statement.
Specter's new party alignment, along with the anticipated confirmation of Senator Al Franken from Minnesota will give Democrats a filibuster-proof Senate, which all but ensures any Obama nominated justice will be confirmed by the Senate.
The difference between justice candidate chatter now as opposed to in February, when Justice Ginsberg underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer, is that we know for certain that an Obama appointment to the Supreme Court is eminent whereas in February it was speculative. And surprisingly, or not, conservative talking heads have already begun their partisan spew before any nominations have been made. Gah.
The media is tossing about several names for the shortlist, though the White House has not officially commented on any of them. In the running are:
Jennifer Granholm (Governor of Michigan)
Elena Kagan (Solicitor General)
Harold Hongju Koh (Dean, Yale Law School)
Kim McLane Wardlaw (Federal Justice, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals)
Janet Napolitano (Secretary if Homeland Security)
Deval Patrick (Governor of Massachusetts)
Johnnie Rawlinson (Federal Justice, 9th Circuit Court of Appeals)
Sonia Sotomayor (Federal Justice, 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals)
Kathleen M. Sullivan (Professor, Stanford Law School)
Leah Ward Sears (Chief Justice, Georgia Supreme Court)
Diane Wood (Federal Justice, 7th Circuit Court of Appeals)
I hope that the Obama nominee will be a moderate and I still think that Sotomayor is the best choice for nomination as I think she'll appeal to both sides of the aisle.
It's interesting that Senator Spector switched party affiliations last week trading in his well-worn R for a shiny new D. Specter is quoted as saying "I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party." His voting record supports his statement.
Specter's new party alignment, along with the anticipated confirmation of Senator Al Franken from Minnesota will give Democrats a filibuster-proof Senate, which all but ensures any Obama nominated justice will be confirmed by the Senate.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Did Someone Get the Number on That Truck?
Oh. Gawd. So much for not getting sick. What started out feeling like a sinus infection last Thursday ended up as what I can only assume was the flu by Sunday evening. I was knocked flat for 5 full days. That never happens.
Even though Scoob wasn't feeling so hot himself, he really pitched in when the fever hit. I think the hardest thing for him was keeping me in bed (not a phrase I thought I'd ever say). I kept getting up to get juice or feed the cats or put a movie in the DVD player and he read me the riot act each time. I've started calling him my Nurse Ratchet. He's not mean, though, just strict. And yes, mom, he did make some hot 'n sour soup—my favorite when I'm sickly.
I would have gone back to work on Tuesday, but Nurse Ratchet barricaded me in the bedroom, so I took one more day of bed rest and spent it watching all 5 of the Harry Potter movies. Again. I know they're supposed to be kid movies, but I don't think I'll ever get tired of them.
So Wednesday was my first day back on my feet and at work. It took me a while to wrap my brain around things and I think today was really my first day back up to speed.
What with being buried under a mountain of tissues and blankets, the closet organizer did not get installed last weekend like I'd hoped. I'm beginning to think it sounds like a good couple's bonding project—you know, for Valentine's Day.
Oh, but in other exciting news, we trained the cats to a new litter box this weekend. Yeah, thrilling news, huh. It was quite easy really. I was too sick to get up and scoop the old box, so they had no choice but to use the new automatic one. Now the old one is washed and stowed away until we need it as a spare when we go out of town.
Last week seemed so long ago, but a few items stuck in my mind from before The Crud of 2009 visited.
One of the biggest news items for me was Justice Ginsberg undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer. I hope the surgery is successful, but of course speculation has already begun regarding who President Obama would nominate to replace Ginsburg if needed. Most of the chatter seems to agree on one thing, Obama will be under immense pressure to appoint a female Justice to the court.
A clear front-runner for the potential nomination is Judge Sonia Sotomayor. First of all, she's female, she's also Latina, she's generally viewed as being a moderate, and she was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by George H.W. Bush, which would hopefully help with a quick confirmation process should Sotomayor get the nomination.
Another name that has been mentioned is Elena Kagan, which I find surprising since she has never argued a case at trial and she's President Obama's current nomination for Solicitor General. Actually, seeing as it is the Solicitor General's job to argue the government's position before the Supreme Court, having had very little courtroom experience may make her better suited to the more philosophical nature of Supreme Court Justice. But of the two, I think Sotomayor is the better option.
In other political news, Keith Olbermann has diarrhea of the mouth. Again. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Cheney supporter. In fact I agree with much of what Olbermann says, but the bile Olbermann spews is nauseating. And saying Cheney needs to leave the country because of things he has said is beyond the pale. Ummm, Keith, yeah, it's the United States, dude.
No matter how off base, infuriating, or crazy Cheney's comments may be, he is entitled to the same protections under the Constitution that Olbermann has been bitching about being systematically taken away the past 8 years. From his tirade, it would seem Olbermann feels that because Cheney has said, and continues to say, things that in his opinion strengthen the position of terrorists, Cheney should be denied his rights under the Constitution and banished from the country. No, that doesn't sound at all un-American or Bush-esque. What's next Keith? Shall we waterboard him too?
Olbermann had his moment (several years of moments, actually) when he openly said on air what millions of Americans were thinking, and I enjoyed watching him then as much as anyone else. But it became shtick long ago as the Bush Administration progressed through it's lame duck term, and unlike Stephen Colbert or John Stewart, Olbermann is not funny. Now that the Boogie Man is no longer in power, Olbermann's continued bile-filled rants at him seem more and more disconnected from reality.
In fact, what went through my mind as I watched the video was, "My God, he's become the liberal version of Ann Coulter or Bill O'Reilly." Olbermann has become just as disturbing as the people he rails at.
I have the vague recollection that Olbermann used to report the news. I wish MSNBC would put him back on that job and stop airing his "Special Comments." Though, he's probably lost all credibility as a newsman now since he has dropped all pretense of being unbiased. He's a caricature of his former self and it has become pitiful to watch. It's not inspiring, enlightening, or even entertaining any longer. But I keep watching; hoping to find a gem.
On a lighter note, it was kind of nice to read that even at the White House, they have to deal with some of the same things the rest of do—masked intruders. We have raccoons at our house too, though other than the one that climbed up to our second story patio, they seem to keep to themselves.
Actually, I remember seeing my first hedgehog while I was interning in D.C. It was huge. I had always thought of hedgehogs as being about the size of a guinea pig, but that one was the size of a medium bulldog! And in the middle of D.C. Judging by the picture on that article, they also have problems with beavers. Who knew?
Even though Scoob wasn't feeling so hot himself, he really pitched in when the fever hit. I think the hardest thing for him was keeping me in bed (not a phrase I thought I'd ever say). I kept getting up to get juice or feed the cats or put a movie in the DVD player and he read me the riot act each time. I've started calling him my Nurse Ratchet. He's not mean, though, just strict. And yes, mom, he did make some hot 'n sour soup—my favorite when I'm sickly.
I would have gone back to work on Tuesday, but Nurse Ratchet barricaded me in the bedroom, so I took one more day of bed rest and spent it watching all 5 of the Harry Potter movies. Again. I know they're supposed to be kid movies, but I don't think I'll ever get tired of them.
So Wednesday was my first day back on my feet and at work. It took me a while to wrap my brain around things and I think today was really my first day back up to speed.
What with being buried under a mountain of tissues and blankets, the closet organizer did not get installed last weekend like I'd hoped. I'm beginning to think it sounds like a good couple's bonding project—you know, for Valentine's Day.
Oh, but in other exciting news, we trained the cats to a new litter box this weekend. Yeah, thrilling news, huh. It was quite easy really. I was too sick to get up and scoop the old box, so they had no choice but to use the new automatic one. Now the old one is washed and stowed away until we need it as a spare when we go out of town.
Last week seemed so long ago, but a few items stuck in my mind from before The Crud of 2009 visited.
One of the biggest news items for me was Justice Ginsberg undergoing surgery for pancreatic cancer. I hope the surgery is successful, but of course speculation has already begun regarding who President Obama would nominate to replace Ginsburg if needed. Most of the chatter seems to agree on one thing, Obama will be under immense pressure to appoint a female Justice to the court.
A clear front-runner for the potential nomination is Judge Sonia Sotomayor. First of all, she's female, she's also Latina, she's generally viewed as being a moderate, and she was appointed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by George H.W. Bush, which would hopefully help with a quick confirmation process should Sotomayor get the nomination.
Another name that has been mentioned is Elena Kagan, which I find surprising since she has never argued a case at trial and she's President Obama's current nomination for Solicitor General. Actually, seeing as it is the Solicitor General's job to argue the government's position before the Supreme Court, having had very little courtroom experience may make her better suited to the more philosophical nature of Supreme Court Justice. But of the two, I think Sotomayor is the better option.
In other political news, Keith Olbermann has diarrhea of the mouth. Again. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Cheney supporter. In fact I agree with much of what Olbermann says, but the bile Olbermann spews is nauseating. And saying Cheney needs to leave the country because of things he has said is beyond the pale. Ummm, Keith, yeah, it's the United States, dude.
No matter how off base, infuriating, or crazy Cheney's comments may be, he is entitled to the same protections under the Constitution that Olbermann has been bitching about being systematically taken away the past 8 years. From his tirade, it would seem Olbermann feels that because Cheney has said, and continues to say, things that in his opinion strengthen the position of terrorists, Cheney should be denied his rights under the Constitution and banished from the country. No, that doesn't sound at all un-American or Bush-esque. What's next Keith? Shall we waterboard him too?
Olbermann had his moment (several years of moments, actually) when he openly said on air what millions of Americans were thinking, and I enjoyed watching him then as much as anyone else. But it became shtick long ago as the Bush Administration progressed through it's lame duck term, and unlike Stephen Colbert or John Stewart, Olbermann is not funny. Now that the Boogie Man is no longer in power, Olbermann's continued bile-filled rants at him seem more and more disconnected from reality.
In fact, what went through my mind as I watched the video was, "My God, he's become the liberal version of Ann Coulter or Bill O'Reilly." Olbermann has become just as disturbing as the people he rails at.
I have the vague recollection that Olbermann used to report the news. I wish MSNBC would put him back on that job and stop airing his "Special Comments." Though, he's probably lost all credibility as a newsman now since he has dropped all pretense of being unbiased. He's a caricature of his former self and it has become pitiful to watch. It's not inspiring, enlightening, or even entertaining any longer. But I keep watching; hoping to find a gem.
On a lighter note, it was kind of nice to read that even at the White House, they have to deal with some of the same things the rest of do—masked intruders. We have raccoons at our house too, though other than the one that climbed up to our second story patio, they seem to keep to themselves.
Actually, I remember seeing my first hedgehog while I was interning in D.C. It was huge. I had always thought of hedgehogs as being about the size of a guinea pig, but that one was the size of a medium bulldog! And in the middle of D.C. Judging by the picture on that article, they also have problems with beavers. Who knew?
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