Crapo: Idahoans Oppose Sotomayor

Washington, DC - During a speech on the Senate floor today, Idaho Senator Mike Crapo noted that a strong majority of Idahoans contacting his office stand in opposition to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. Crapo reaffirmed that he will vote against Sotomayor's appointment when the Senate acts on her nomination this week, citing concerns over 2nd Amendment rulings, judicial activism and the involvement of foreign law when weighing legal decisions.

"To date, I have received more than 1,000 letters, emails and phone calls from my Idaho constituents, overwhelmingly in opposition to Judge Sotomayor's nomination," Crapo said. "One of the major concerns that I have, and that I hear most often from Idahoans, is in regard to her views on the 2nd Amendment. She rejects that all Americans have an individual 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms. In the Maloney case, she wrote that the right to bear arms is in fact not a 'fundamental' right. If confirmed, she may very well be on the Court to hear that very case, Maloney. Even the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Idaho, has ruled the opposite way in a similar case--that the 2nd Amendment is binding on the states. Should Judge Sotomayor's position in Maloney be upheld by the Supreme Court, Idahoans would lose their 2nd Amendment protection against gun control laws.

"Also troubling is that she has made statements acknowledging that her experience allows her to choose the facts she wants to see when determining a case, rather than applying the law. And she has repeatedly stated that U.S. judges may look to foreign law to interpret the U.S. Constitution and the laws of the United States to maintain our country's standing in the world community. The U.S. Supreme Court has directly reviewed ten of Judge Sotomayor's decisions, and eight of those have been reversed or vacated," Crapo added.