Sotamayor for Supreme Court!

I’m told that some of you people actually follow non-baseball news. Not sure why you’d do that, but I guess it takes all kinds. Anyway, for those that care, among the names on President Obama’s short list to fill Justice Souter’s seat on the Supreme Court is Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. If she’s picked, I’m assuming that there will be a moderate amount of scrutiny of her judicial record, her philosophy, her political views and all of that stuff, but for our purposes, you should know that she’s the judge who, on March 30, 1995, issued the preliminary injunction against Major League Baseball preventing the owners from unilaterally implementing a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and using replacement players, effectively ending the 1994 baseball strike.

Because of this, I think I would support her nomination. Not because it indicates how she would approach labor issues, but because by ruling as she did, she made it possible for the Braves to win the World Series that year.

(thanks to Mark Armour for the heads up)


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Mark Armour
14 years ago

Sotomayor is a well-respected judge whose views on judicial matters are consistent with mine.  In other words, be prepared to hear the word “socialist” bandied about if she is picked.  Who am I kidding, no matter who is picked.

To Craig’s point, I remember the day her decision came down, and realizing that our long national nightmare was finally over.  You go girl.

themarksmith
14 years ago

I second that motion. It was also Chipper’s rookie season, and no matter what The Onion says, it is not ridiculous for him to be someone’s favorite player. Bunch of jerks.

Real American
14 years ago

she’s definitely a judge who would ignore the law if it conflicts with her personal political views. OF course, Obama promised to appoint judges like that, so what do you expect?

Aaron Moreno
14 years ago

Mark, you should know better than that. Nominees for the Supreme Court have no views or opinions, and they certainly don’t have views that they can express as to any future case that may come before the Court.

When you see a Justice speak, they’re quite impressive, until you realize they won’t tell you anything particularly weighty.

Ben2009
14 years ago

As an alternative, I nominate retired Hennepin County, Minnesota trial court judge Harry Crump, who’s 2002 order compelling the MN Twins to follow through on their lease with the Metrodome effectively ended MLB and the Polahd’s plans to contract the Twins.

http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2001/11/16/Judge-orders-Twins-to-play-in-2002/UPI-28421005953644/

Craig Calcaterra
14 years ago

RA:  now now, I posted this as a simple, flippant joking item. Let’s not go turning it into a political thread.

But if you must, know this:  Though I am a lefty, I took no real issue with the Alito or Roberts nominations because (1) even though I disagree with a lot of their views and the way they approach the law, you can’t say they weren’t qualified to be justices; and (2) the Constitution has set it up so that elections matter when it comes to these things. My advice to my Democratic friends who opposed those two was “win some freakin’ elections.”

So now they have.  I know little if nothing about Sotomayor beyond the baseball thing, but if she’s been a federal judge for at least 14 years, and an appellate judge for a good portion of that time, then she is likely qualified to sit on the Supreme Court too.

So, like I told my friends a couple of years ago: win some elections and then you don’t have to worry about the way she approaches the law.

Marc Schneider
14 years ago

Real American,

What you really mean is, she would abide by the law even though it conflicts with what you think the law should say.

Aaron Moreno
14 years ago

I would nominate Alan Page because I think he would really anchor this Court’s run defense and provide an inside presence in the pass rush.

Hizouse
14 years ago

Craig, note also that issuing the injunction well after the 1994 post-season could have been played kept the Braves’ 14 consececutive division-title streak intact.  Screw you, Expos.

Craig Calcaterra
14 years ago

Good point, Hizouse!  I feel bad for the Expos fans and everything, but anything that causes the 1994 Expos Truthers discomfort is fine by me.

/we so totally would have caught them.

Shyster N. Training
14 years ago

RA,

Cute. Did you hear that from Rush Limbaugh?

Chipmaker
14 years ago

After Sotomayor handed down the strike decision, I wanted her for commissioner.

I suppose I could settle for SCOTUS associate justice.

blaze
14 years ago

You know I’m swooning, right? Baseball, politics, law…

Lettuce
14 years ago

Judge Sotomayor would be good, as would any number of other judges… But that decision blocking the implementation of the CBA by The Cartel was one of the best I’ve ever read.

Whispers
14 years ago

“and no matter what The Onion says, it is not ridiculous for him to be someone’s favorite player. Bunch of jerks.”

And that is the funniest thing I’ve read all day.

timb
14 years ago

Screw the Supreme Court.  We should make her Emperoress just for ending the vile charade that was the Reinsdorf/Selig “union busting” plan.