WASHINGTON (CNN) - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will vote against the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, his office announced Friday, marking the first time the Kentucky Republican has ever opposed a nominee to the high court.
"Judge Sotomayor's record of written statements suggests an alarming lack of respect for the notion of equal justice, and therefore, in my view, an insufficient willingness to abide by the judicial oath," he said in a written statement. "This is particularly important when considering someone for the Supreme Court since, if she were confirmed, there would be no higher court to deter or prevent her from injecting into the law the various disconcerting principles that recur throughout her public statements. For that reason, I will oppose her nomination."
McConnell, who also opposed Sotomayor's 1998 appellate court nomination, has previously voted to confirm every Supreme Court nominee since joining the senate in 1985, including Clinton appointees Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer.
Other senators who have announced their intent to vote against Sotomayor are Republicans Jim Bunning of Kentucky and Bob Bennett of Utah. Bennett supported Sotomayor's 1998 appellate court nomination.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced Thursday that the GOP will not attempt to block a direct vote on Sotomayor's nomination. Currently, Republicans control 40 seats in the chamber, just shy of the number needed to indefinitely delay a final vote.
From CNN Politics
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ummmm, he's a republican. you know ... the party that lately has been trying to prove they are the party of no. given their current track record I'd EXPECT him to vote against anyone the democrats put up there. heck, i'd expect him to vote against GOD if the idea came from the democrats.
Big surprise.
I am not surprised that this muppet would vote against someone who is highly qualified. In his mind, he has to vote against her because she was nominated by someone who he sees as his enemy. What a wimp of a senator.
What else is new!!! No big surprise.
This really comes as no surprise that Mitch McChinless won't vote for Judge Sotomayor. He probably drew the short straw. I guess he doesn't think he needs the votes of any women or Hispanics next time he runs. And, I hope he doesn't get any. And, when have you ever seen a witness from one of the cases a judge has decided testify during a confirmation hearing? I can't remember that being done with Roberts, Alito, or any others in recent memory. But they had one of those firefighters get up to give his "sour grapes" testimony. Come on, Democrats, grow a pair and just ram through whatever legislation you want the way Bush did. All of his Repub lap-dogs went along with whatever he wanted. Too bad it wasn't good for the country!
I swear she must be exceptionally good to earn the wrath of sessions and mconnell. These guys will always say no to what is good for this country but take us to useless wars in Iraq and drain to our economy. Can anyone show us any good thing republicans did to this country in the last 10yrs?......lets be serious and honest for the love of our nation. God Bless USA.
Did the Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell just say that he will vote against Judge Sotomayor because of her "record of written statements"?
He is basing his vote on a few minutes of her life?
What about the 17 years of her life as a federal judge at the district and circuit court levels? Sometimes I worry about you people!
You know Judge Sotomayor, I am beginning to believe that you had no reason to apologize at all.
No apology was necessary.
Of course he is.
McConnell's opposition to Sotomayor is pure political pandering to the racist far-right. Sotomayor is a mainstream jurist who has excelled everywhere she has been. It is a shame that McConnell seeks to divide Americans by injecting race into the discussion about Sotomayor's qualifications.
Two wrongs dont make a right.... Mitch, white people were wrong for hundreds of years. Who made up the "higher court" deciding that white people were better than other races during early America? Are Americans to leave it up to more ignorant white people to make things equal?
Jackass
Respectfully, sir, it is time for you to seek opportunities elsewhere. You no longer represent anything by partisanship, and your ways are dragging the party, as well as the democratic (_small_ "d"), down a very deep well.
Time to go, and take your bigotry with you.
As an Kentuckian I would never have expected anything else from this backward man.
Yes, and the rethuglicans want equal rights for all except non-christians, gays, african americans, women who exercise their right to choose, and all the other myriad of things they don't like. Imbiciles.
Of course he is what do you expect
Really, who cares.
What do you expect from a worthless piece of republican garbage...
Oh McConnell, Sotomayor will do just fine without your vote. I hope the Hispanic community is watching this and realizing that the Republicans never had your best interests at heart. Young people, women voters, and other ethnic voters all figured this out... and I'm glad the Hispanic community is waking up!
Has to be expected from the GOP.
Grand Old Perverts !
MITCH MCCONNELL IS ALL GARBAGE.
Good! He needs to lose his job . . . and I'm sure he will!
He probably would hav evoted for Robert Bork.
this guy does not know any thing...I don't know how he got elected in the first place....I knew this long time ago...he would not vote....how idiotic...
Lets face it folks, there is no REAL reason to oppose most of the appointees. Politicians do to impress their constituencies, primarily the most influential. This is the case with McConnell. Just political grandstanding. If McConnell's constituency is made up of conservatives, of course he is going to oppose this nomination. He wants to get re-elected. Of course, it means he will not garner minority support. Oh well republican party. You put yourselves in this position, exclusionist!
This Southern Confederate like the other Southern Confederates will never change. Mitch Mcconnell is an old biggotes typical Southern republican. They will never support a democratic Hispanic who is an excellent juror to any high office. They should all go back to the 1850's and stop dividing the union,.