The left-leaning Alliance for Justice released a report today touting Sonia Sotomayor's law-and-order bona fides. The report, which examines dozens of criminal law cases from throughout her judicial career, concludes that Sotomayor "has more experience in criminal law than any of the justices with whom she will sit if she is confirmed."
The release comes in the wake of a White House event last week that aimed to boost Sotomayor on the same issues. Eight of the nation's largest law enforcement agencies endorsed Sotomayor, with Vice President Joe Biden repeatedly telling attendees, "She gets it." "As you do your job, know that Judge Sotomayor has your back as well," Biden said. "And throughout this nominating process, I know you'll have her back."
In a conference call with reporters today, William Yeomans, the organization's legal director, and Brina Milikowsky, a legal researcher at the alliance, highlighted several cases they said illustrate Sotomayor's strong stance on criminal law issues. These included her ruling in United States v. Falso, a child pornography case, and in United States v. Moreno, a drug case where she issued a longer sentence than the default guideline.
"For the most part, she was willing to sentence defendants on the high end of the guideline recommendations, both in white collar and violent crimes," Milikowsky said.
"One area we don't know much about her views is the death penalty," Yeomans said. "She has not had an occasion on the bench to rule on" that issue. He did, however, reference a 1981 memo Sotomayor signed onto while a board member of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund that indicated she was against it.
Throughout the call, the group tried to underscore Sotomayor's adherence to precedent and her careful judicial style in criminal law cases. It's "virtually impossible" to predict how jurists might rule on the high court, Yeomans said, but Sotomayor is "certainly not someone who is going to veer off widely in one direction or another."
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