WASHINGTON (CNN) - As time ticks down to July 13 - the recently announced date for the start of Judge Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings - Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are asking Sotomayor for more information about her lengthy legal career that includes almost two decades on the federal bench.
A letter to Sotomayor signed by every Republican on the committee and dated Wednesday states that committee staff "have noted a number of apparent omissions" in the materials Sotomayor recently submitted.
"In addition, we believe that some of your responses are incomplete," the letter also says. The seven Republican senators ask Sotomayor to "revisit the questionnaire and provide another supplement as soon as possible." Alternatively, "[i]f you believe that your questionnaire is fully responsive, we would appreciate an explanation to that effect," the Republicans tell Sotomayor.
Read: The Republicans' letter to Sotomayor
Among other things, the letter asks Sotomayor to provide copies of materials she edited while at Yale Law School, to explain why an all-female organization that she belongs to does not violate the federal courts' Code of Judicial Conduct, and to provide more information about nearly 200 speeches, remarks, or lectures she has given.
The letter comes on the same day Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took to the floor of the chamber to criticize Senate Democrats for setting the start of Sotomayor's confirmation hearings in just over a month from now.
"They want the shortest confirmation timeline in recent memory for someone with the longest record in recent memory," McConnell said. "This violates basic standards of fairness and it prevents senators from carrying out one of their most solemn duties, a thorough review of the president's nominee to a lifetime position on the highest court in the land."
From CNN Politics
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Work for us | Help
Interesting letter. Looks exhaustive of course but that's the way leagal things go – especially for a candidate for the Supreme Court.
So of the questions of course are jsut asking the judge to provide information she has already admitted is missing or being looked for. I'd expect those to show up without argument if she has pointed them out herself.
Some reasonable ommissions pointed out. Left out materials edited while at Yale Law school? Pretty big ommission there.
McConnell is right by the way – is a one-month deadline for confirmation consistent with a promise of complete governmental transparency?
What a group of ridiculous old, thin-lipped men.
Interesting letter. Looks exhaustive of course but that's the way legal things go – especially for a candidate for the Supreme Court.
Some of the questions of course are just asking the judge to provide information she has already admitted is missing or being looked for. I'd expect those to show up without argument if she has pointed them out herself.
Some reasonable omissions pointed out. Left out materials edited while at Yale Law school? Pretty big omission there.
McConnell is right by the way – is a one-month deadline for confirmation consistent with a promise of complete governmental transparency?
Oh those Republicans. Anything to be negative and to drag this on and on. I can understand doing their constitutionally mandated
job of advise and consent, but this sounds like bitterness and more
of the usual anti-everything behavior they have exhibited since the
election.
This is just harassment and a waste of time. How about examining, say, her 4,000 legal opinions? Since she IS up for a judgeship and all.
More evidence that the GOP is moribund and out of touch.
Anyone else getting tired of seeing this Hag's face? Anything to avoid the real issues.
More Republican obstructionism and whining. Your beloved Justice Roberts was rammed through on a similar timeline so stop whining and deal with it.
Did they ask for her kindergarten and grade school papers too? Perhaps Judge Sotomayor was in that evil Head Start Program Republicans keep trying to gut. Maybe she has writings from then too that they can criticize the "un-American way she makes her Ss".
What babies. Enjoy your continued irrelevance gentlemen.
How absurd. The Republicans want Sotomayor to find and submit "copies of materials she edited" in law school? More evidence that they're looking for words and sentences with which to distort her record and integrity.
Oh how horrible the concept! To think that a member of a minority group might make a better decision than a white man in a discrimination suit . . . how dare Sotomayor say that! Perhaps many Republicans are offended by her statement because they believe that white men are so superior to other groups that they don't require diverse experiences to make good decisions.
GOP = Goofs on Parade
Why don't these idiot GOPs shut the hell up? Where were all their big mouths while Bush and Cheney screwed the country?
Seriously? The whole world is laughing at us because we continue to have a GOP that is run by nasty, racist old white men who will say ANYTHING vitriolic to keep their base! The disgusting rhetoric that has come out of some of these people is beyond incredible! They have NOT offered a single idea to help fix our problems! They continue to hate on the POTUS, and I will say it, because he is African-American! They are still in shock over this. Don't even get me started on their base!
This will be handled just like the senate seat in Minnesota. They will drag it out, for years if possible. She is headed for confirmation, they have nothing on her, so they simply obstruct. The GOP is now the Grand Obstructionist Party. So much for impartial advise and consent. I think that the time for one-sided 'bipartisanship' is over. I would not fault the other side of the aisle to turn their majority into a steamroller.
Big suprise, the GOP is hasseling Ms. Sotomayor. She is so experienced and intellegent, and is a "moderate" the GOP should just shut up and be happy that Pres. Obama did not chose someone more liberal. She is an excellent choice and brings the experience only a woman can offer. The fact that she is "of color" is a bonus.
This is going to be an exact replay of the Stimulus vote.
Republican answer will be NO...to Sotomeyer
Ron
The seven Republicans that signed this letter making these request failed to request the records of her social dates, with whom she had these dates, a full profile of the people she dated, times she was picked up, the times she returned home from her date along with certified copies or transcripts of these dates.
At the very least, they should go back as far as her High School Prom. One must remember that Republicans must be sure there are no grounds to deny her this seat on the Supreme Court before they vote against her in the Senate.
Is this normal? Or is this typical political non-sense?
Funny how Republicans are so worried that they don't know anything about Sotomayor when she's already been through two confirmations. If they don't know what she stands for by now, they haven't been paying much attention.
There is a technical term for what they are doing. It's called being a jerk. They want to find any reason they can to drag this on in hopes of trying to hurt Obama in some way.
President Obama is my hero. As we have bond auctions nobody attends, up the yield to get someone to buy them, print the money to buy them ourselves, I can only thank you for making this Administrations moves to completely destroy the Economy so obvious. It is wonderful in it's "transparency". Since I have recently learned how to "bet short" on the market, I can join the ranks of Soros and other major Obama contributors to bring down the evil capitalists, destroy US Industry, and get absolutely filthy rich in the process. And I'm sure Sotomayor will be "watching the backs" of any others who get in the way of handing over secured debt to Labor Unions as a campaign payback in the future.
Get ovfer it!!! GOP & Rove – oveR
Do these Republicans know the meaning of the word HARASSMENT? If yes, then they should stop harassing this great lady and jurist. If not, someone should oblige them to follow a crash course on the meaning of harassment.
Sotomayor apparently has difficulty in clearly articulating her thoughts, as we heard in the clip of her attempt to describe how she believes the court creates policy. Maybe they should give her a multiple choice questionaire...
snore.
Don't hold your breath on expecting full disclosure from the Obama adminstration regarding Sotomayor's legal career. The public is quite content with whatever President Obama tells them to think. Besides, why ruin the surprise of what Sotomayor really thinks? You'll have a lifetime to figure that out once she gets confirmed.
A tired old witch hunt. Crawl back under the rocks that you came from, power-shy repub. grandstanders. The world is changing right before your eyes. Embrace it.