June 2, 2009
Posted: June 2nd, 2009 08:15 PM ET
Sotomayor made the rounds on Capitol Hill Tuesday.
Sotomayor made the rounds on Capitol Hill Tuesday.

(CNN) – Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor told Sen. Dianne Feinstein Tuesday her controversial Latina remarks were a "poor choice of words," the California Democrat said.

“She said, 'Obviously it was a poor choice of words if you read on and read the rest of my speech you wouldn’t be concerned with it but it was a poor choice of words,'" Feinstein told reporters.

Feinstein, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, added that she and Sotomayor "generally" discussed the issue of abortion, and that the judge believes strongly in legal precedent.

"I believe she has a real respect for precedent and ... if that is really true then I will agree with her and I believe it is," the senator said.

– CNN's Ted Barrett contributed to this report

Filed under: Dianne Feinstein • Sonia Sotomayor • Supreme Court


Sonia Sotomayor makes misleading statements when whining her sob story! « 22MOON.COM   June 5th, 2009 4:28 am ET

[...] her statement of superiority to white Senators who hold the key to her historic appointment,  she backpedaled by dismissing her proclamation as a  "poor choice of words".  But let's be [...]

Tatianna   June 3rd, 2009 1:51 am ET

There is evidence of the dem party swept up in its own revolutionary fervor caught up in the self-flattering belief that history has called upon it to solve all the problems at once. Here we have an ambitious president intending to enact the most radical agenda of social transformation seen in our lifetime. Obama needs Sotomayor, lawmakers and voters alike to view the world through his prism, and to accept his analysis of whats wrong and how to make it right. Clever politics, but intellectually dishonest to the core.

Kathy   June 3rd, 2009 12:41 am ET

Dear Senator! It's NOT about abortion. It's about a right to privacy in our most personal affairs.

ed   June 3rd, 2009 12:35 am ET

good lord
60 percent of her cases are overturned on appeal
shes wasting the peoples money not to mention ruining peoples lives
she should apply at laraza janet muriga the pres would love her

Kenyan Wonder Kid   June 2nd, 2009 11:59 pm ET

Glad to see that our new SCOTUS nominee can recite the response that Obama gave her. He is her teleprompter.

Republicans on another hate mission   June 2nd, 2009 11:59 pm ET

Sotomayor has NOTHING to apologize for or explain. This is typical Republican garbage to pull one sentence from a long speech and spin it totally out of context so they have something else to complain about.

Republican aren't happy unless they are complaining or whining or lying or attacking someone. They have no ideas and are so out of touch with America – all they can do is try to obstruct Obama and spread hate and fear. It is all they know how to do.

Sotomayor is a far better candidate than Roberts or Alito ever was. She will finally be a real asset to the Court, which is overly burdened with rabid conservative white men who DO make all decisions based on political agendas. We need someone on the Court with common sense and the ability to be moderate and follow the law.

Sotomayor will be confirmed despite the Republican hatefest that is only further destroying the last shred of their Party.

Jerome   June 2nd, 2009 11:50 pm ET

"I believe she has a real respect for precedent and … if that is really true then I will agree with her and I believe it is," the senator said.

What an idiot the Senator is. She's too stupid to hide her litmus test from the light of day. Oh, Senator? You're not supposed to ask the judge how she would rule on a specific case, remember?

Twit.

matt   June 2nd, 2009 11:38 pm ET

she is awesome

me   June 2nd, 2009 11:32 pm ET

Yes, this is true. It puts down the other people, races. Law is not about races, it is about the right, the law, the truth, the objectivity to people, case. Anyone who has statements as such is dividing, separating people . No one likes it. I do not like if my race is being put on pedestal, or has privileges, or if other race does the same. We are all equal. Only difference is the level of humanity, understanding, caring in each of us.

How can someone in high position -especially law, where all the words matter so much – make poor choice of words? It is what one thinks what brings the words out. I guess she is enormously proud of being Latina, which is fine, but does not make her higher than other people.

Chris   June 2nd, 2009 11:25 pm ET

Let's face facts folks, everytime we do anything for anyone of our own race it could be construed as a racist act IF you go along with all of this talk about racism. I prefer to believe that EVERYONE has a natural alliance with people of their own race. It's as natural an act as birds of a kind flocking together. You don't see geese hanging around waiting on humming birds do you? You don't see Eagles nesting with Buzzards do you? Ok, this lady is as human as -- well, as I am. She loves people of her race enough to try and help them while I love the people of my race enough to try and help them. We don't all act alike because we're not all alike, but one thing I've noticed that we all do -- favor our own.

Chad   June 2nd, 2009 10:52 pm ET

This is not a poor choice of words!!!! This is exactly how she thinks and feels!!!!

Democrat Awakens   June 2nd, 2009 10:47 pm ET

Poor choice of words? Poor choice for judge. After reading her three of five rulings that were overturned by the Supreme Court, it's clear that she has a poor grasp on the Constitution. I could care less about her heritage or background. But her thought that the 2nd Amendment does not apply to states, is completely ludicrous. Not only should she not be on the Supreme Court, she shouldn't be a judge.

corydavenport   June 2nd, 2009 10:24 pm ET

How is it a "poor choice of words" when she wrote out a speech, went over the wording of it numerous times, delivered it, and then published it? What she said was both intentional as well as racist and sexist. All the spinning in the world by her, the Democrats, and the media can't change the facts.

Mark   June 2nd, 2009 10:21 pm ET

She is supposed to sit on the highest court in our country and why is she qualified again? Oh ya thats right...... never mind what she said

Terry   June 2nd, 2009 10:16 pm ET

As a college lecturer, I was speaking 12 or 15 hours a week. Occasionally, I made a joke which sounded incredibly clever to my mind but was in poor taste when it came out of my mouth. Once, one of my students said that I made a remark that was critical of women, which was certainly not my intention. (I gave her a few minutes of class time to explain why she thought the remark was sexist. It led to a very good class discussion.)

If you say 10,000 sentences, one or two of them are going to be very badly phrased. I know that. We all know that.

Conservative leaders are like Bart Simpson, chanting "The principal said 'butt.' The principal said 'butt.'" They are just saying, "Sotomayor is a racist. Sotomayor is a racist."

You Conservatives who voted for the "Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" should be ashamed.

Unhappy Dem   June 2nd, 2009 9:58 pm ET

Both of these two need to crawl back under the rock they slimed out from.

I Am The Great And Powerful Rush Of Oz   June 2nd, 2009 9:58 pm ET

Obama clearly picked a moderate. Next time, he should go for a true progressive, especially if one of the four right wing justices retires.

MBS   June 2nd, 2009 9:57 pm ET

I've read the whole speech, and anyone who says the quoted comment was taken out of context is either lying or hasn't read the speech. The quoted comment is very much in line with the rest of the speech. It's ridiculous to say it was a poor choice of words, it was a speech she wrote and obviously put a lot of thought into, and she subsquently published it in a law journal, word for word. So are we to believe that she is so careless regarding her published writings that she uses a "poor choice of words"? I'd have a lot more respect for her if she would just own her comment, and perhaps it would start a debate on whether we want a Supreme Court that is color-blind, or one that is ruled by empathy for certain minorities. The position of the administration and Ms. Sotomayor is clearly the "empathetic" one, and the country deserves a chance to debate which direction we should go.

David Longstreth   June 2nd, 2009 9:55 pm ET

So, how do you rephrase it to improve it? She meant what she said when she said it. So, does she have any decisions that reveal she makes decision based on race? Unfortunately, yes.

Justice should be blind to race. It should treat us all as equals. The more out of line rulings are made with that proposition, the more confusion will begin to prevail.

munchmom   June 2nd, 2009 9:55 pm ET

Ya think–duh! If someone that Bush had nominated had said something like that, they would have already been drawn and quartered!! But we know that anyone that has any contact with Obama is untouchable. God help us all.

New Yorker   June 2nd, 2009 9:52 pm ET

"poor choice of words" and poor judgment. The woman said what she believes and is not qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. I read the rest of the speech and it only confirms that she is the wrong choice.

Willy Brown   June 2nd, 2009 9:47 pm ET

She had her 15 minutes of fame. She's still a flaming liberal.

Laurens R. Hunt   June 2nd, 2009 9:41 pm ET

I appreciate the apology by US Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor, but honestly I question that it is necessary. Hispanics and Latinas/ os often have had different exposure than that of whites. As a male feminist I understand where she is coming from. If Ms. Sotomayor used the same words repeatedly then that maybe sufficient causation to question her judgment. However this comment had been made only once 10 years ago. During middle February US Attorney General Eric Holder referred to America as a "Nation of Cowards" regarding race relations. Again they would not likely have been my choice of words, but sometimes provocative statements need to be said in order to motivate community involvement. I often feel the same way as a person with a disability.

Sawber   June 2nd, 2009 9:37 pm ET

Poor choice of words?

Does she think that it is any better that a judge makes a poor choice of words in a speech that is written/prepared well ahead of time?

Remember, her comments were not off the cuff or in answering a question.

Is she going to be as careless in authoring judgements on cases?

No To Obama   June 2nd, 2009 9:35 pm ET

White Americans KNOW that you are a racist.

RealityKing   June 2nd, 2009 9:33 pm ET

Poor choice of words or Freudian slip??

Obviously we'll find out after her nomination is done being rammed down America's throat.

Steve (the real one)   June 2nd, 2009 9:04 pm ET

How long ago did she say this? Wasn't it a poor choice of words back then?

mh   June 2nd, 2009 9:04 pm ET

A poor choice of words from a poor choice for justice!

skyhawkdriver   June 2nd, 2009 9:03 pm ET

Isn't it comforting to know that two socialists can get together over afternoon tea and agree on so much..unlike chris matthews I don't get a tingle running down my leg..you would think that the good senator feinstein would be more worried about her home state of california sinking in to the abyss of bankruptcy instead of hanging around washington and schmoozing with the beautiful people..of course she could always bum a free flight back home with the star kist queen pelosi

bsmith171   June 2nd, 2009 8:58 pm ET

feinsten was a 'poor choice' to replace harvey milk.
how many boxes of hair color does this 75 year old woman use in a week?

Is it racist?   June 2nd, 2009 8:48 pm ET

I don't think so, and certainly the GOP should give it a rest unless they are going to grow a spine and stand up to Rush and the other Hitler youth like O'Rielly, Hannity, Couture

Joe Terrogano   June 2nd, 2009 8:47 pm ET

I just want to pointout that every time he opens his mouth, old Rush uses "a poor choice of words". So if we are going to parse this stuff, let's also focus on Tubby.

Gracie   June 2nd, 2009 8:44 pm ET

WHY is this even an issue. Has anyone ever misspoke before? Jesus, this is sooooooooooooooooooo STUPID. Everyone is acting like they've never done the VERY same thing.

GROW UP PEOPLE and LET'S MOVE ON...

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