The Sotomayor Mystery

Why didn't she explain herself in this year's big race case?

Judge Sonia Sotomayor is smart and sharp, and her formidable track record on the bench should put to rest any lingering doubts that she isn't. (Why was the left, or at least the center, criticizing one of its own?) But there is a mystery in Sotomayor's recent history: a brief, unsigned opinion in the difficult race case now before the Supreme Court, Ricci v. DeStefano. Sotomayor punted when Ricci came before her, to such a degree that she raised more ... Full Story »

Posted by Kaizar Campwala

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Review

Derek Hawkins
3.8
by Derek Hawkins - May. 26, 2009

Looks strictly at the Ricci case and the prominence it will certainly have in Sotomayer's confirmation hearings. Discussion of the case, and Sotomayer's terse appellate court opinion in it, is even-handed. Concise story, could have been a little deeper.

If Sotomayor and her colleagues were trying to shield the case from Supreme Court review, her punt had the opposite effect. It drew Cabranes’ ire, and he hung a big red flag on the case, which the Supreme Court grabbed. The court heard argument in Ricci in April. New Haven didn’t fare well.

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Derek's Rating

Overall
3.8

Good
from 12 answers
Quality
3.7
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4.0
Fairness
4.0
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3.0
Style
4.0
Context
4.0
Depth
3.0
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3.0
Relevance
4.0
Popularity
4.0
Recommendation
4.0
Credibility
4.0
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