SALT Supports Nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court

On June 25, 2009, SALT submitted a letter to Patrick Leahy, Chair, and Jeff Sessions, Ranking Member, of the Senate Judiciary Committee, supporting the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court.

We believe that Judge Sotomayor's judicial record reflects sound legal analysis, appropriate caution, and the highest integrity, the letter begins.

In reviewing her years as a prosecutor, federal district court judge, and member of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, SALT addressed the issue of empathy, which somehow has become a pejorative term within some sectors of the media.  Empathy cannot be dismissed as simply a matter of personal feelings and emotions, but rather, is a key component of "doing justice."  Inevitably constricted by the narrowness of our own backgrounds, we must seek to expand our awareness of other people's varied experiences if we are to realize "equality under the law" and "justice for all."   As law professors, we try to teach empathy in our classrooms, to appreciate what all parties in a particular disppute are experiencing ("where they're coming from," in the vernacular of our students).  Surely, this capacity helps in negotiating a case and in oral arguments, but emphathy has far greater value than simply providing tactical benefits.  It is crucial to sound and informed judgment.

Click here to view a pdf of SALT's letter...