Sotomayor and 'A Latina Judge's Voice'

By Angie Drobnic Holan
Published on Wednesday, May 27th, 2009 at 7:07 p.m.

Related rulings:

Sotomayor thinks "that one’s sex, race and ethnicity ought to affect the decisions one renders from the bench."

Judicial Confirmation Network, Tuesday, May 26th, 2009.

Ruling: Half-True | Details

"Walking in the door (Sonia Sotomayor) would bring more experience on the bench, and more varied experience on the bench, than anyone currently serving on the United States Supreme Court had when they were appointed."

Barack Obama, Tuesday, May 26th, 2009.

Ruling: Half-True | Details

Judge Sotomayor has said "that policy is made on the U.S. Court of Appeals."

Republican National Committee, Tuesday, May 26th, 2009.

Ruling: Half-True | Details

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Sonia Sotomayor and President Barack Obama meet in the Oval Office.

If you've been following the story of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor via cable news, you've undoubtedly heard this sound bite from a 2001 Sotomayor speech:

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

For many conservative detractors, the quote has formed the centerpiece of their opposition.

We analyzed the speech to find more context, and looked at a statement from the Judicial Confirmation Network that Sotomayor thinks "that one’s sex, race and ethnicity ought to affect the decisions one renders from the bench." We rated it Half True .

Also, don't miss our previous coverage of President Barack Obama's first Supreme Court nominee:

• We examined a claim by the Republican National Committee that Sotomayor believes the appellate court "makes policy." We found that claim to be Half True .

• We also looked at President Obama's claim that she has more experience than the sitting justices. We found that one wasn't as clear-cut as we expected and that, contrary to his suggestion, that she had roughly the same experience as the other justices. So we gave it a Half True .