Will Scalia finally meet his match in Sonia Sotomayor?
That's the buzz about a Supreme Court faceoff between the most notoriously caustic sitting justice, Antonin Scalia, and President Obama's first nominee for the bench, Sonia Sotomayor.
Will Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia finally meet his match? Buzz over Sonia Sotomayor faceoff
BY James Gordon Meek
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU
Tuesday, June 2nd 2009, 10:14 PM
Savoia/AP; Miller/News
If Sonia Sotomayor is confirmed, Antonin Scalia will find himself with a sparring partner up to the challenge.
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WASHINGTON - Will Nino finally meet his match in Sonia?
That's the buzz about a Supreme Court faceoff between the most notoriously caustic sitting justice, Antonin Scalia, and President Obama's first nominee for the bench, Sonia Sotomayor.
Neither of the brassy New Yorkers - he's from Queens, she's from the Bronx - suffers fools, or unprepared lawyers.
Scalia is famous for his razor-sharp jabs and cuts aimed at the intellects of his fellow justices - particularly those on the liberal side - in oral arguments and his written opinions.
Many Supremes-watchers debate whether the New York federal appeals court judge will soon give Scalia a taste of his own medicine.
"Her reputation suggests she would," said Carl Tobias, a University of Richmond law professor. "There is no indication she's a shrinking violet."
In 1989, Scalia forever alienated fellow justice Sandra Day O'Connor by excoriating her in a key abortion case by saying she "cannot be taken seriously."
One Republican involved in confirming Bush's two nominees, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito, predicted the street-smart Sotomayor will shake things up if she's confirmed, as expected.
"She's the anti-Roberts - very rough around the edges - and the anti-Alito - there's not a shy bone in her body," the GOP source said.
Some critics questioned Sotomayor's legal smarts, suggesting she lacks the intellectual firepower to unload on Scalia.
But Sotomayor is "no slouch" - she graduated from Princeton and Yale Law School with top honors - her Republican defender noted.
"She did better academically than Nino Scalia," the GOP source said. "She's probably less precise and less of a cutup, but Scalia hasn't had much influence either because of his acerbic wit and willingness to criticize other justices."
Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the Irvine School of Law, said the "caustic" Scalia "crosses the line into inappropriate" remarks.
While Sotomayor may be capable of lobbing nasties right back, "I really hope she doesn't," he added.
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