Republican Senator: Sotomayor Will Be Confirmed (VIDEO)

Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said on C-SPAN Wednesday morning that Judge Sonia Sotomayor would be confirmed by the United States Senate and become a member of the Supreme Court. Grassley is a member of the Judiciary Committee, which will consider the nomination. The Democratic caucus controls 59 seats; 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster.

Grassley voted against Sotomayor in 1998, but he said he would give her a fresh look.

"Evidently I was one of the 27 people that voted against her when she went on the Circuit," he said. "And I don't want anybody to believe that I'm going to have that be a reason for me having my mind made up now. Because quite frankly, I'm going to have to go back and hopefully I gave a speech at the time, or there's something in the record of my rationale for the no vote at the time."

Asked if he thought Sotomayor would be confirmed this time around, Grassley said simply, "Yes."

WATCH:

Ryan Grim is the author of the forthcoming book This Is Your Country On Drugs: The Secret History of Getting High in America

Comments

[Kelly Laraia]

11:37 AM on 05/28/2009

The "controversy" is that Sotomayor said her Latina background would lead to a BETTER conclusion, not just a different or new perspective. I think better was a poor choice of words. However, I don't think she meant it in a racist or bigoted manner. She will be confirmed and there is no reason for her not to be. Obama won, he is a liberal and will put liberals on the SC. Bush won, he was a conservative and put conservatives on the SC.

[Edwin Badulis]

01:19 AM on 05/28/2009

Nominate Justice Rust Libag instead so repubs will be happy

[reversed]

05:06 AM on 05/28/2009

Michael Steele, is that you?

[LemonMeringue]

10:23 PM on 05/27/2009

Of course she will be confirmed. She is qualified, they congratulated themselves not so long ago over Gonzolas being Hispanic, she has as unbiased a record as they are gonna find, and they just do not have the votes to keep her out.

They have to make a little show, though. Brownback has "concerns." etc. Etc. Gotta toss a bone to their teeny weeny base, what's left of it.

They have to be careful, to protest just exactly enough but not too much.

Obama is a genius.

[otop016]

09:53 PM on 05/27/2009

Duh...no s_it she'll be confirmed...

[nomobull]

01:39 AM on 05/28/2009

you said it.

[chicagoexpat]

08:18 PM on 05/27/2009

the GOP can’t figure out how to cut holes in their hoods without poking themselves in their eyes.

http://loomisnews.wordpress.com/2009/05/27/republicans-will-pass-on-sotomayor/

[joceeco]

07:30 AM on 05/28/2009

Well said. I hope the rest of America (the 20% or so still voting republican) will wake up and see that party for what it is. If present day republicans had been in Lincoln's party, Barack would be working in the White house alright, the south would be a power house with all that free, slave labor and women would be barefoot, pregnant and in the kitchen. Today's old, bitter, white republican men, are the worse that America has to offer anyone.

[BlackYowe]

08:12 PM on 05/27/2009

Newt has the brain of a Newt.

[nomobull]

01:39 AM on 05/28/2009

you owe newts an apology.

[Buffyboy]

07:35 PM on 05/27/2009

Senator states-the-obvious. He's a genius prognosticator.

[oldfuzz]

07:34 PM on 05/27/2009

Let the Dance of the Supremes begin.

Will the GOP proffer enough objections to satisfy their base, whatever that is and however much of that remains? Or will the exceed the civil limit and lose more Latinos and women, especially Latino women who are the most powerful of all here in New Mexico.

Let's get it done so Obama is ready with his next Supreme Court Nominee, a black woman who overcame the burdens of being a single mother.

[jacklambert]

07:20 PM on 05/27/2009

It's beginning to look like I am going to be disappointed.
I was kinda looking forward to Republicans opposing Sotomayor's elevation to the Supreme Court
Roberto Lovato says "Sotomayor's Confirmation Hearings Will Be a Trial of the GOP". I think he's right

Unfortunately a few republicans see the trap and are not going to oppose her. Her conformation is almost certain

Thank you Mr President for nominating a person of supreme competence eminently qualified to serve on the Supreme Court. What difference intelligent leadership makes!

[DJ23]

07:15 PM on 05/27/2009

http://www.dailykostv.com/w/001783/

Alito: "My family’s immigrant experience shaped judicial outlook"

Via Glenn Greenwald (and one of his readers) comes a moment from Samuel Alito’s confirmation hearings that will either silence Sonia Sotomayor’s conservative critics or expose their hypocrisy for what it is.

In an exchange with Sen. Tom Coburn, who had asked Alito to discuss how his personal experiences shows that "he cared for the little guy," Alito said that his family’s experience as immigrants influenced his outlook on immigration cases.

And that’s why I went into that in my opening statement. Because when a case comes before me involving, let’s say, someone who is an immigrant — and we get an awful lot of immigration cases and naturalization cases — I can’t help but think of my own ancestors, because it wasn’t that long ago when they were in that position…

When I get a case about discrimination, I have to think about people in my own family who suffered discrimination because of their ethnic background or because of religion or because of gender. And I do take that into account.

Watch:

http://www.dailykostv.com/w/001783/


So when Sam Alito said his family’s immigrant experience influenced his outlook, it was okay, but now that Sonia Sotomayor (who, like Alito, is an appeleta judge) has been nominated to the Supreme Court, she’s a "racist?"

Puhlease. The real issue for these guys isn’t what she said. They’re just pissed off about who said it.

[Obamalicious]

07:39 PM on 05/27/2009

Anyone who references the KOS is not credible.

[DubyaGump]

07:45 PM on 05/27/2009

and I suppose you think The Drudge report is?

[edgeways]

08:33 PM on 05/27/2009

likewise wikipedia

[Daniboy]

07:09 PM on 05/27/2009

Biden said the only reason Thomas got on the Supreme Court was because he was Black. She is not the best candidate-just a good "Latino candidate"

[Kassandra]

07:34 PM on 05/27/2009

Do you ever think for yourself..or only read what Redstate sez?

[sej100]

06:49 PM on 05/27/2009

The GOP are just hypocrites.
They promote a man for Chief Justice who never once held against a corporation. I guess some BIASES and prejudices are OK huh?

Mr Alito was a member of a group at Princeton that wanted to prevent women and minorities from attendance or more. But that was fine, sure.

And Justice Scalia so esteemed by the GOP wanted no ardent enforcement of Antitrust laws? I guess Activist judges are fine as long as they work for the lobby groups of the GOP.

And doesnt strict construction just reference guns!!!!

After all the Court didnt mind obscurring state laws to insure counting of votes end so that they could select a President in Bush.
Against activists? Hardly, The GOP loves activist Republican Judges. They just hate anyone not of their party.

[diak0n0s]

06:27 PM on 05/27/2009

She sure showed those New Haven white Firefighters a thing or two.

[brijit]

06:36 PM on 05/27/2009

Funny nobody ever mentions that one of the "white" firefighters is Hispanic. A biased ideologue doesn't side against her own ethnic group but an objective judge might.

[jigisup]

07:19 PM on 05/27/2009

Exactly!

[pangurban]

07:19 PM on 05/27/2009

She upheld the law in that decision...they should have gotten the law changed by the city

[Obamalicious]

06:22 PM on 05/27/2009

Sotomayor = Socialist.

“The difference between Democrats and Republicans is: Democrats have accepted some ideas of Socialism cheerfully, while Republicans have accepted them reluctantly” -Norman Thomas

[brijit]

06:30 PM on 05/27/2009

I remember right-wingers ranting about Norman Thomas 40 years ago. Is he STILL an issue?

[Obamalicious]

06:34 PM on 05/27/2009

Sotomayor quotes him. You tell me if he is still an issue???

[0whole1]

06:56 PM on 05/27/2009

Ah, assertions. I want to play!

Modern GOP = toddlers

"Here's a guy who doesn't know the difference between a lie and the truth." -- Harry Truman

[Obamalicious]

07:11 PM on 05/27/2009

Was that an response to me? That had nothing to do with my original comment.

[kalimuzo]

06:11 PM on 05/27/2009

Case closed she is in. The wingnuts just cant help themselves throw them red meat and they pounce like hyenas, meanwhile they are alienating the majority of the eloctrate

[Obamalicious]

06:31 PM on 05/27/2009

She is most likely in, but America will finally get to see how liberal/socialist Obama is. It's a win/win...

[nogornc]

07:13 PM on 05/27/2009

Boy, I hope so. The liberal the better - go liberals!!!!

[edgeways]

08:23 PM on 05/27/2009

We are now a center-left nation, might as well move to Russia, I hear they are still pretty authoritarian in nature.

[1murillo]

10:20 PM on 05/27/2009

The wingnuts have scared some in Congress to hold back their unfounded attacks. Of course we'll have a few Senators who'll stick to their guns, but she'll clear the Committee and Senate with large margins.