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12 May 2010 10:12

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Politics: Elena Kagan’s big public problem? People don’t know her yet

  • 40% of people have a positive or fair opinion of Kagan
  • 36% have a fair or negative opinion of the Supreme Court nominee
  • 24% are wondering who the heck you’re talking about source
  • » How does this compare? Not very well, actually. People’s positive opinions of Kagan are lower than any of the other four nominees since 2005, including a full seven points below Sonia Sotomayor. The reason for this, mostly, is the high number of “no opinions” – most of Bush’s choices scored around 15 percent there.

06 Aug 2009 20:26

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U.S.: Example No. 1 of GOP Obama fury: The Sonia Sotomayor vote

  • 31 Senators voted against her, all of them Republicans source

14 Jul 2009 20:31

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U.S.: Sonia Sotomayor: Running through hoops like Sonic the Hedgehog

  • When I worked hard at trying to convince my colleagues of something after listening to them, they’ll often try it for a while. I mean, we’ll have to talk together. We’ll have to figure out that issue together.
  • Supreme Court justice candidate Sonia Sotomayor • On dealing with her potential fellow justices on issues of politics and hashing out disagreements. Sotomayor’s been putting on quite a show during her Senate hearings the last two days with the wording of her answers. She’s willing to be a critic of herself, correcting things she’d said that have been turned back on her, and overall keeping her composure in a situation that would knock others flat. No matter your political persuasion, she’ll probably be a good justice for these aspects alone. • source

12 Jul 2009 11:52

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U.S.: Republicans, Democrats agree: Sotomayor won’t face a Senate fight

  • The GOP doesn’t have the votes for it anyway. Rather than force a political showdown over a Latina woman’s nomination to the Supreme Court, the Republicans were all over this morning’s talk shows saying that they’d probably be unable to filibuster her – although saying that she would be vetted really well. Barring any skeletons in her closet – literal or otherwise – she should have an easy time finding a comfortable seat between Stevens and Ginsburg. source

05 Jul 2009 12:14

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Politics: Sonia Sotomayor is giving the GOP major spin troubles

  • Republicans appear to have given up fighting her nomination. The Supreme Court nominee, who goes up against the Senate next week, appears – much like the guy that nominated her, Barack Obama – to be a tough cookie to crack. She’s a minority and a woman – two groups the party struggles with – and worse, Sen. Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has fought off allegations of racism in the past. Plus, the GOP has just 40 votes in the Senate. Which sure makes it seem like they’ve given up on fighting back, doesn’t it? source

07 Jun 2009 20:47

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Politics: Max Headroom: Sunday talk show recap for June 7, 2009

  • Hilary’s 3 a.m. test On “This Week,” George Stephanopoulos asked Hilary Clinton whether her boss, Barack Obama, passed the “3 a.m. test” used in a primary campaign ad:

  • Hilary as veep in 2012?CNN’s “State of The Union” went the logical road with Clinton’s statement, with Republican strategist Alex Castellanos saying she could replace Joe Biden:

  • Newt’s talks “racialist”“Face the Nation” provided Newt Gingrich an opportunity to clarify whether he thinks Sonia Sotomayor is racist, but he somehow clouded the issue more:

29 May 2009 13:20

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Politics, U.S.: People seem to generally like Sonia Sotomayor, a poll sez

  • 54% of those polled say that Obama’s justice pick is the bee’s knees
  • 24% disapprove; the rest of you can’t make up your freaking mind source
 

26 May 2009 11:13

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U.S.: Five fast facts about SCOTUS justice pick Sonia Sotomayor

  • one She’s a New Yawker of Puerto Rican descent and a huge Yankees fan.
  • two Her pedigree’s pretty sweet: She went to Princeton and Yale Law School.
  • three She was appointed as a trial judge in 1991 and upgraded to appeals in 1998.
  • four In 1995, she effectively ended the MLB baseball strike by blocking replacements.
  • five If she gets on the court, she’ll likely be a solid liberal vote. Well, duhhhh. source

26 May 2009 11:11

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U.S.: Why you’ll like Sonia Sotomayor: She’s one of us.

  • I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with extraordinary opportunities and experiences.
  • Obama’s Supreme Court justice pick Sonia Sotomayor • On what she describes as “the most humbling honor of my life.” The biggest hurdle she’ll likely face to becoming a justice is that she hasn’t had to make any major decisions on abortion cases, BTW. • source

13 May 2009 22:18

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U.S.: Ladies! Judges! Cabinet members! Obama plays his Supreme Court cards

  • one Five of Obama’s six possible choices are women, and just one is a dude. We wonder which way he’s leaning. Clearly, it’s with the guy. Because he’s dropping tons of hints.
  • two The judicial choices are two female appeals court justices, Sonia Sotomayor and Diane Wood, and a male Calif. Supreme Court justice, Carlos Moreno.
  • three Solicitor General Elena Kagan, who argues for the government in Supreme Court cases, is also a possibility. Plus, she knows everyone on the bench already. Hooray!
  • four Outside of the courtroom are Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Homeland Security Sec. Janet Napolitano, both of whom are fairly well-known.
  • five Whoever wins the race to become the next Supreme Court justice, we recommend using extra Lysol on David Souter’s chair, because who knows where that guy’s been? source