Sen. Grassley Admits To Different Standards For Alito And Sotomayor

Think Progress:

During the opening day of confirmation hearings, Judge Sonia Sotomayor came under fire from Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) for stating that her experiences as a Latina affects her judicial outlook. "This empathy standard is troubling to me," Grassley said. "The Constitution requires that judges be free from personal politics ... feelings and preferences."

But Grassley never objected when Judge Samuel Alito said virtually the same thing during his confirmation hearing, when Alito testified he "can't help but think of" his immigrant family when evaluating immigration cases:

Read the whole story: Think Progress

Comments

[Opygollopy]

Grassley is the fool who told a person at a town hall meeting that if he wants good health care coverage, he should work for the government.

Another dinosaur that should be put out to pasture. these reps who have been in the same job for 3 or 4 terms should be retired due to lack of caring for their own constituents. They get so used to being a senator that they stop listening to their own people who put them there. This yahoo is a prime example of lack of integrity , caring and ability to do his job.

[J-Rome]

I did not hear an admission from Grassley. The headline should read: Grassely fails to acknowledge the double standard being applied by republicans in the Judge Sotomayor confirmation hearings.

[huffingt]

by 2010, all these Rethugs should be out

[huffingt]

Double standards-one rule for wh it e ,and one rule for male , and one rule for Latino woman.

[MeddlingMonk]

"The Constitution requires that judges be free from personal politics ... feelings and preferences."

Really? I'd like the senator to attempt to locate an exact quotation for this alleged requirement. I'll even give him a little help: the Constitution's primary statements on the federal judiciary are contained in Article 3 and the 11th amendment. He may study those sections as long as he wishes (but I can guarantee he'll find nothing even remotely similar to what he is alleging).

[smilodon1]

I was born in Iowa and he is an embarrassment. Iowa can not stand another term of office for him.

[gatogato]

Then yesterday, Grassley admitted to applying a double standard to Sotomayor during an interview with NPR’s Robert Siegel. Siegel reminded Grassley that during Alito’s confirmation hearing, the judge said his background plays a role in his judicial philosophy — and Alito still managed to secure Grassley’s support:

NPR: By your standard that would be disqualifying. He should have said instead my family, my background counts for nothing.

GRASSLEY: That’s absolutely right. […]

NPR: But you didn’t vote against Justice Alito’s confirmation.

GRASSLEY: No I didn't

[sej100]

The GOP party of hypocrisy, bigots and sexist.
Why not impeach them based upon their failure to respect equal rights. No so called leaders should be allowed to blatantly practice discrimination!!

[BIG JOHN]

TALKING ABOUT TIME FOR CHANGE. IT'S OVERTIME FOR CHANGE. THESE GUYS ARE WORST THAN RETREADS.

[Tommygun264]

Senator Grassley, like his misogynistic cohorts Sessions and Kyl, lacks the basic intelligence necessary to present a facade of impartiality. We've seen the same thing in the debate over health care reform. They believe themselves capable of selling arrogant bluster as taking a stand on principle, but in reality they are not fooling anyone or winning over anybody who ever opposed them - the people who vote for them share the same cynical paranoia about whites losing their social and political influence to minorities. They see the so-called "culture war" as being divided along racial lines and for their generation it may still be true, but theirs is an aging, dying breed.

[jsgaetano]

That must be because Grassley feels "empathy" toward his fellow white conservative male fringe-lunatic ideologue buddy.

[Havnagudtim]

Well, that's just 'reverse' empathy, and I find it objectionable! "Reverse" empathy is an insidious monster upon the body politick, and we must eradicate it at all cost.

[gcallaghan]

I like that...it lends itself to a whole series to describe them,. the pastors are hypnocrites, their flocks hippocrites

[1differentdrummer]

So he's a phony, what's new?

[unite4change]

The more we listen to these old whites republican men, the more we should know, America would be a lot better off without them in Washington.

[unite4change]

The Gop, the party of God, and so called Christians don't believe in emphathy.