Is Sotomayor Neutral?

Deborah O'Malley / July 17, 2009

Senator John Cornyn asked Judge Sotomayor to comment on a less famous yet still controversial statement that she made in her now infamous Wise Latina speech, in which she stated that there is no “objective stance” or “neutrality” in judging. Her explanation failed the most fundamental of Senate hearing tests—the laugh test.

She explained she was simply stating that a judge must eventually make a choice in every case to side with one litigant or the other. In the end, a judge cannot be neutral to the parties: “You’re going to rule in someone’s favor. You’re going to rule against someone’s (more…)