Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on July 14, 2009

Off and on, I watched streaming video of the SCOTUS congressional hearings (thanks, Hot Air!) for Judge Sonia Sotomayor this morning as I was getting ready for work.

Hmm… Sotomayor overuses her hands when speaking. In the videos embedded below the commentary, the camera’s centered position doesn’t prominently show her hands (view obscured). But in the streaming video I watched this morning, the camera was more to her left. Sonia’s hands were in constant motion when she talked. She repeatedly, obsessively smoothed out non-existent wrinkles on a non-existent tablecloth. Or kneaded non-existent bread dough. Annoying and distracting…

An excerpt from Hot Air, Video: Sotomayor’s “play on words” defense:

It didn’t take long on the second day of Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation hearings for the subject of “wise Latinas” to arise. Patrick Leahy tried a typical defense lawyer’s trick by introducing first to discredit the controversy over Sotomayor’s assertion that a “wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would, more often than not, reach a better conclusion” on matters before the appellate bench. Jeff Sessions wasn’t having any of that, though, and pressed Sotomayor on her statement. Sotomayor tried shrugging it off as a bad play on words.

Sotomayor wants to write it off as a poor rhetorical construct, which would explain it had she said it only once. However, as CQ Politics discovered while researching Sotomayor’s public remarks, she said it a number of times, at least six in total. That sounds as though she had considered that argument carefully and fully endorsed it — until it made national news, and Sotomayor had a sudden limelight conversion…

Additional updates: Washington Examiner: Republicans don’t believe Sotomayor’s stories and Confederate Yankee: Sotomayor Either Perjured Herself, or Is Intellectually Unqualified to be on the Supreme Court

A few videos of portions of Day 2’s SCOTUS hearing:

C-SPAN: Portion of Sen. Jeff Sessions’ (R-AL) Questions to Judge Sotomayor on Judicial Activism, Day 2

C-SPAN: Sen. Sessions Questions Judge Sotomayor on Ricci v DeStefano

C-SPAN: Sen. Sessions to Sotomayor: “Your empathy for one group resulted in your discrimination against another”

Related reading:
Hot Air: Aw: Graham forgives Sotomayor for the “wise Latina” crap and Video: Wise Latina sends Chris Matthews to leg-thrill heaven and SCOTUS overrules Sotomayor on Ricci
Michelle Malkin: Day Two: Sotomayor and ritual reassurances and Sen. Graham to Sotomayor: “Unless you have a complete meltdown, you will be confirmed.” and Day One: Spotlight on Sotomayor and Racism rejected: SCOTUS reverses Sotomayor in firefighters case and The Supreme Court high hurdles contest
American Elephants: Democrat Group Launches Smear Campaign Against Firefighter in Sotomayor Case
Matt Apuzzo, Breitbart.com: FACT CHECK: Don’t quote Sotomayor on that, Senator… Leahy creative rewriting of history…
Threedonia: Wise Latina woman not impressing much
Arlenearmy’s Blog: Sotomayor’s Supporters Intimidates Senate’s Witness
Talking Points Memo LiveWire: Opening Statement From Sen. John Cornyn (As Prepared For Delivery)
The Patriot’s Mind: Fact Check: Senator attempts to avoid Sotomayor’s exact quotes!
Ed Whelan, NRO: More Sotomayor on Use of Foreign Law
Power Line: Empathetic, moi?
Stop The ACLU: Sonia Sotomayor La Raza: The Ignorance of Ignoring Sotomayor
The Daily Beast: Sotomayor: The Drinking Game
John Romano, Big Hollywood: Race Only Matters When it Favors Democrats
Ed Driscoll, Pajamas Media: Some Narratives Are Better Than Others
Sister Toldjah: The Sonia Sotomayor confirmation hearings
Excellence in America: The Questions Sotomayor Should Be Asked – America Deserves Answers
Rosita the Prole: Sotomayor’s White Boyfriend (named “Mr. White,” you can’t make this stuff up) Dumped Her For a Younger Woman. I Think We Have Located the Origin of the “Wise Latinas Do It Better Than Stupid White Men” Remark.
Commentary Magazine: Sotomayor Morphs Into Justice Roberts
Teh Resistance Blog: Firefighter Frank Ricci about to be picked, targeted, frozen, personalized and polarized
Grand Rants: Supreme Court To Sotomayor: You Blew It… Again
Mike Sargent: NewsBusters: Coulter’s Cajun Barbecue: Coulter vs Carville On Good Morning America
Ann Coulter, World Net Daily: So much for wise Latinas
The Washington Times: GOP: Sotomayor approval not guaranteed
Washington Post: Ricci Decision Provides Rallying Point for Opposition
La Shawn Barber’s Corner: Supreme Court Sides with White Firefighters – Opinion
Op-Toons: Lawyers Advise Fire Departments to Close Until Fires Destroy More Racially Proportionate Numbers of Homes
Rasmussen Reports: Public Support for Sotomayor Falls After Supreme Court Reversal
Frank DiMartini, Big Hollywood: The End of Reverse Discrimination?
Legal Insurrection: Now The Sotomayor Polls Don’t Matter
Hot Air Green Room: Sotomayor and the politics of race
The TIW Blog: Racist, bigoted Sotomayor repudiated by SCOTUS
Arlenearmy’s Blog: Update to Race Discrimination Case: U.S. Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Victims
Axis of Right: Sonia Sotomayor Overruled (again) by SCOTUS
CQ Politics: Sotomayor Spin Wars Have White House Working Overtime
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Democrat Attack Dogs Waiting to Leap on Frank Ricci: SCOTUS Hearings for Sonia Sotomayor Begin Today and Warning Signs about Sonia Sotomayor, from Andrew Breitbart and “Clarence Thomas & Miguel Estrada’s Backgrounds Didn’t Impress Democrats”: Ann Coulter Rejects Getting All Weepy about Ultra-Liberal Hispanic Sotomayor’s SCOTUS Nomination (video) and Repeated Bias: Sotomayor Has Made ‘Wise Latina/Better Decisions’ Remark Several Times
PA WaterCooler.com: Say No to Sonia!
Caleb Posner’s Blog: Sotomayor the Latina Extremist
Floyd and Mary Beth Brown’s Blog: Sotomayor’s Selective Empathy

Categories: Government, Law & Constitution, Social and Political Climate, Videos, Audio Files
Tags: America, C-SPAN, Frank Ricci, Jeff Sessions, Latina, media bias, political, politics, racial bias, Ricci v. DeStefano, SCOTUS, Senate Judiciary Committee, Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court, Supreme Court judge nominee, video, YouTube