Sotomayor: a tough target for Republicans

Obama named his first pick for the vacant seat on the Supreme Court today. Sonia Sotomayor, a Latina 2nd Circuit Appeals Court Justice from Brooklyn was named. Some Right wingers have already sounded the battle horn against this unassuming little lady, who was raised by a single mother in the shadow of Yankee Stadium. One would imagine only the coldest hearted folks in America would stand up against this lady. I suppose the Republicans could ding her for being a diabetic, or maybe the fact that she is the child of a single mother. Republicans despise single mothers. She is also Latina (Puerto Rican), which could be used against her by Republicans except this is a bad year for them and they could really use those Latino votes, so they will probably let that slide, for now.  So far conservatives have nailed her for being a "bully" and hard on lawyers. I'm sure the lawyers all went home and cried after a day in her court. They also call her "hard-left leaning". Ultimately the only critiques out there now seem to attack her pushiness, or strong will. A strong will is something that one might expect for a Supreme Court Justice. One critic had this to write:

The most consistent concern was that Sotomayor, although an able lawyer, was "not that smart and kind of a bully on the bench," as one former Second Circuit clerk for another judge put it. "She has an inflated opinion of herself, and is domineering during oral arguments, but her questions aren't penetrating and don't get to the heart of the issue." - The New Republic, May 8, 2009.

All in all, she seems like a great nominee. She brings a different point of view. She is a woman, where only one currently sits on the nine-person panel. The war for the Supreme Court seat has just begun, but with the impotence of the current Republican party and their penchant for alarmist noise making, I wouldn't expect much trouble for Sotomayor.