The Next United States Supreme Court Justice
Supreme court nominee Sonia Sotomayor is no stranger to taking on criminals head on. Almost thirty years ago, as a young prosecutor, Ms. Sotomayor spear headed an effort to crack down on child pornographers in New York. She had a reputation for working long hours and taking a no nonsense approach to bringing criminals to justice.
As a young prosecutor, Sotomayor saw the underbelly of American society on a daily basis. She was confronted with child pornographers, rapists, hookers, and a variety of criminal defendants. While some have argued that Sotomayor may be an overly-sympathetic liberal, her record as a prosecutor does not paint that picture. In fact, a look at her opinions as a federal judge show her siding with the government more often than not.
Sotomayor will bring fresh perspective to an area of our society that many in the highest offices of our land have little experience, criminal justice. In fact, Sotomayor has seen first-hand what some might consider “the worst of America.” But who better to solve some of the difficult challenges presented by the intermingling of poverty and crime than someone who has over three decades of experience dealing with these types of issues.
By the time she left the prosecutor’s office, Sotomayor had become a seasoned trial attorney. More importantly, she had many firsthand experiences with crime in our society and our system of bringing criminals to justice. She also developed a more worldly view on the impact, consequences, and root causes of crime in our society.
Only time will tell where on the spectrum her judicial philosophy will fall. While most of her opinions as a federal judge are considered middle-of-the-road, it is likely that she will put a pro-prosecution touch on decisions related to criminal law and procedure.
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