UPDATED: Begich to vote for Sotomayor, Murkowski against

Posted by Alaska_Politics

Posted: August 5, 2009 - 3:43 pm

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From Erika Bolstad in Washington D.C. –

UPDATED: Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, will vote to nominate Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor is expected to be confirmed in a 3 p.m. (Eastern time) vote, making her the first Hispanic U.S. Supreme Court justice.

"Based on her record, her testimony and her commitments to me and senators of both political parties, I am convinced she will not be an activist justice. I believe she will continue her practice of upholding the law and protecting our constitutional rights without bringing personal bias to her decisions," Begich said. "Today is an historic day for our country, and I am pleased to join a sizeable majority of my Senate colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, in supporting a distinguished jurist, the first Hispanic and only the third woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court."

Yesterday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she will vote against her (video below). Murkowski said her decision was difficult because she likes Sotomayor personally. Sotomayor is an "engaging individual," Murkowski said, and after meeting her said she left "thoroughly impressed with her intellect and resolve."

But that wasn’t enough, said Murkowski, who said she had concerns about the content of some of Sotomayor’s speeches as well as the judge’s views on 2nd Amendment issues and private property rights.

"As much as I like Judge Sotomayor and I am impressed with the obstacles she has overcome, there are aspects of Judge Sotomayor’s record that make me uncomfortable," Murkowski said. "This discomfort arises from Judge Sotomayor’s speeches as well as her decisions in key cases involving the Second Amendment and property rights. Alaskans are by their nature independent thinkers and this nomination has rightly engaged their attention."

When the two women met in June, they both were recently hobbled by injuries and were photographed sharing a footstool – an image that seems destined for the history books. Murkowski, who injured her knee skiing this winter and was wearing a brace, propped her leg next to Sotomayor, who was wearing a cast on the ankle she fractured shortly after she was nominated.
During their meeting, Murkowski asked Sotomayor directly about what she meant when she said in speech that that a "wise Latina" might reach better legal decision than others from less diverse upbringings.

"When she was talking about how she arrives at some of her decisions, I asked: 'How do you make the separation from your personal experiences, your life experiences?'" Murkowski said at the time. "And I specifically brought up the phrase that has generated some level of controversy. And she talked about that at some length, about how who we are allows you to have certain antennae that listen. That kinds of sensitize you to issues. It doesn't direct you to make decisions one way or another, but allows for a series of antennas, which was the word she used."

The content of those speeches continues to give her pause, Murkowski said Wednesday on the floor of the Senate.

"During the confirmation hearings Judge Sotomayor used many words to justify and explain her statements," Murkowski said. "She argued vigorously that she was misunderstood. But I am still not clear that she understands the impact that the plain meaning of her words had upon the American people. Or the impact they potentially could have on the credibility of the court."

Like Murkowski, Begich said he also made it clear to Sotomayor how important Second Amendment freedoms are to the people they represent in Alaska.

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