WASHINGTON, DC- Ahead of today’s vote on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) released the following statement:
“Sonia Sotomayor's life story is an authentically American story. It is a story of hard work and sacrifice. It is a story of struggle, triumph and overcoming barriers in her life. She has had broad and unprecedented experience as a Federal judge for 17 years.
“Judge Sotomayor also served as a prosecutor dealing with the complexities and the difficulties that any prosecutor encounters, dealing with victims, the impact of a crime on a victim and his or her family as well as dealing with judges, witnesses and law enforcement to prosecute criminal conduct.
“So whether you look at her experience as a prosecutor, as a Federal district court judge, a trial judge or her experience on the appellate court, hearing appeals at the Federal level, all are very relevant to and prepare her well for her service on the U.S. Supreme Court.
“I believe integrity is a central consideration that Senators should weigh when we are deciding who serves on the Supreme Court after a President nominates. We want someone with broad life experiences. We want someone with experience in the law and often as a judge. But we also want someone who has character.
“I got a sense of that when I met with her. I also got a better sense by reading the long list of all the organizations that have endorsed her.
“President Obama has nominated someone to the U.S. Supreme Court who I believe will allow us to be able to say that as long as we are nominating people with the experience, the character and the integrity of Judge Sonia Sotomayor , this Nation will long endure. I have no doubt about that. I say that with as much confidence as anyone could because her record demonstrates that. Her experience demonstrates that if we have people such as Judge Sotomayor in the U.S. Supreme Court, this Nation will not only long endure, it will indeed thrive under that kind of judicial excellence and that kind of experience she will bring to the bench.
“Her academic credentials, legal experience, judicial temperament, character and judicial philosophy have been shown to be beyond reproach.
“I will vote for Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation to be an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. We can be proud of her record and her experience but also her remarkable and authentically American story.”
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