Franken “Spewed Fire” at Judiciary Committee Vote on Sotomayor

Martine Kaplan — July 29, 2009 – 11:15 am | Congress | Democrats | Domestic Policy Comments (0) Add a comment

New Senator Al Franken (D-MN) did an excellent job handling not only his first Supreme Court confirmation hearings, but his first major task as a United States Senator.

Here’s his review from The Minnesota Independent:

Franken was the last senator to speak before the vote, but his statement was perhaps the most arresting as he threw off the mild-mannered mantle of a first-month senator and threw down a gauntlet over high-court rulings he termed “judicial activism.” ... With a vehemence not yet seen in his short tenure in Washington, D.C., Franken took issue with rulings on abortion, voting rights, price fixing, age discrimination, and corporate entanglement in elections.

Noting how court actions have overturned or threatened even recent precedent, Franken said, emphatically, “This is judicial activism. This is a court that’s willing to reverse itself … to achieve its own agenda of what is right. … A vote for Sonia Sotomayor is a vote against judicial activism.”

The article also lauds Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) for her comments about sexism against female judges.

To read the full article and watch a video of Franken’s statement, click here.

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