Death, Taxes, and Judge Sotomayor

If you ask Americans what “liberal” means, they will tell you it means pro-choice on abortion. Liberal equals abortion. Consider this: Lawrence Lader was the liberal founder of NARAL. Lader wrote in Making the Revolution, his self-flattering memoir of pro-abortion activism, that “abortion is central to everything in life and how we want to live it.” No issue is more important to liberals.

Predictably, the Democratic Party has pledged its allegiance to the U.S. Supreme Court’s radical Roe v. Wade ruling. Roe overturned the abortion laws of all fifty states and forced abortion-on-demand upon the country.

There is no chance that any liberal appointee to the Supreme Court would deviate one millimeter from pro-abortion zealotry. The only justices who disappoint are those appointed by presidents who claimed to be choosing adherents of judicial restraint who would not try to become legislators in black robes. Blackmun, Stevens, Souter—all were named by presidents who thought their nominees would respect the Constitution.

Judge Sotomayor came out of her meetings with the Senate’s liberal lions—and lionesses—with smiles all around. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) enthused that Judge Sotomayor has a deep respect for—what else?—Supreme Court precedent. I half-expected Sen. Feinstein to wink at the camera and say Judge Sotomayor would even respect “Super Precedent,” the label that pro-abortion Sen. Arlen Specter (D(?)-Penn.) gave to Roe v. Wade.

When Sen. Feinstein and Judge Sotomayor were having their constitutional chat, rest assured they weren’t talking about the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott ruling or Plessy v. Ferguson. Those atrocious decisions are precedents, too.

As we go into the Senate confirmation hearings on Judge Sotomayor this summer, everyone should follow them closely. Judge Sotomayor could be on the Supreme Court for decades. If confirmed, she will doubtless line up with the Court’s liberal bloc with all the consistency of a metronome. Tick Tock.