Nevada: Patrick Leahy

Senator John Ensign (R-NV) has announced his opposition to the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court, saying: “While I believe Judge Sotomayor is an impressive role model for millions of Americans, I take my responsibility as Nevada’s Senator very seriously, and feel I need to protect the sanctity of our Constitution. “Judge Sotomayor’s record and testimony provide uncertainty and doubt that she will rule with a fair and impartial adherence to the rule of law." [LV Sun] Frankly, this comment is little more than GOP boiler-plate. Being unable to cite actual examples of unfair and biased rulings, and having to contort her position in the Ricci Case (in which she upheld precedent, the 'rule of law') to say that in that particular ruling she should have been an 'activist' judge and reversed precedent before the Supreme Court did so, the Republican opponents are constrained to make vague statements about “uncertainty and doubt.