After all the inaccurate paraphrases and simple misrepresentations of Sotomayor’s views (I’ve heard at least 5 different paraphrases of her ‘wise Latina’ comment on news-ertainment shows, each of which set up straw women to knock down), it’s refreshing to hear the judge speak for herself – I was beginning to wonder if she had a voice at all. C-SPAN has particularly good live coverage on the web, including here.
UPDATE: Well, Senator Kyl just finished his inquisition of Judge Sotomayor concerning the “wise Latina” comment, and I must say that he gave her every opportunity to adopt the inoffensive interpretation of the philosophy behind the comment that I suggested in a previous post on this subject. She, however, did not go that route here (although she set forth a similar interpretation elsewhere), insisting instead that her comment was just an instance of rhetorical excess. Here’s the end of their exchange, although I think it’s best viewed in the context provided by the previous several minutes [I'll post the whole thing if it becomes available - meanwhile, here's a transcript that includes the whole exchange. To find the relevant portion, search for the phrase 'a legal basis']:
While I disagree with Kyl on most issues, I think his concern about Sotomayor’s remarks has a sound basis. Sotomayor might as well be honest about having been influenced, at least in her abstract academic views, by a sort of multicultural relativism that has tended to be promulgated in many humanities and social science departments over the past few decades: one that verges on being anti-white and anti-male, and not just pro-diversity. However, my own concern is mitigated by the fact that – as Sotomayor herself repeatedly stresses – there seems to be no evidence of her actually having applied those views in her judicial decisions.