Sotomayor calls abortion rights 'settled law'

[babylonsister]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_SOTOMAYOR_ABORTION?SITE=CONGRA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Sotomayor calls abortion rights 'settled law'


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Supreme Court aspirant Sonia Sotomayor said Tuesday that she considers the question of abortion rights is settled precedent and says there is a constitutional right to privacy.

The federal appeals court judge was asked at her confirmation hearing Tuesday to state how she felt about the landmark Roe versus Wade ruling legalizing abortion in 1973.

Sotomayor told the Senate Judiciary Committee that "there is a right of privacy. The court has found it in various places in the Constitution." She said this right is stated in the Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable search and seizure and in the 14th Amendment guaranteeing equal protection of the law. She declined to say pointblank if she agreed with the high court's precedent on this volatile issue.

Answering a question later from Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Sotomayor said that "all precedents of the Supreme Court I consider settled law," subject to the possibility of subsequent reversal, such as when the court last month renounced a previous precedent in a reverse discrimination case. It ruled 5-4 on the side of white firefighters from New Haven, Conn., who challenged a decision by the city to discard the results of an employee test in which they fared better than minorities who took the examination.

[endarkenment]

1. facts are of no interest to republicans, nt

[monmouth]

2. Roe v. Wade has been settled law for how many years now???.. Geez....n/t

[babylonsister]

3. Yet no SCJ nominee has ever stated their opinion so succinctly.

I give her props for getting this out in the open.

[BlooInBloo]

4. She emailed me that what she wanted to say was: "In your face! In your face!"...

:rofl:

[qazplm]

5. nice

I make this argument all of the time, right to privacy is INHERENT in the 1st amendment on practicing one's religion, 3rd on not quartering, 4th, and to some extent the 5th, 10th, and 14th.

[Hepburn]

6. The case has been settled law for years.

It is not a case of first impression. She is absolutely correct. It is precedent and until it is over-ruled, it MUST be followed.

What the hell is so surprising about that?

Brown v. Board, for example, is settled law. :shrug:

[blondeatlast]

7. The wisdom and rule of law; how refreshing. Now that I am studying to become

a paralegal, I appreciate Justice Sotomayor all the more. She was so very impressive yesterday.