Sodermeyer More Experienced Judge When Nominated to Supreme Court

What do you think of Sonia Sotomayor as the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice? WOW!

Judge Sotomayor nominated to high Federal Court
First Hispanic nominated to Supreme Court


WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama chose federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor as the nation's first Hispanic Supreme Court justice on Tuesday, praising her as “an inspiring woman'' with both the intellect and compassion to interpret the Constitution wisely.


Obama said Sotomayor has more experience as a judge than any current member of the high court had when nominated, adding she has earned the “respect of colleagues on the bench, the admiration of many lawyers who argue cases in her court and the adoration of her clerks, who look to her as a mentor.''


Standing next to Obama at the White House, Sotomayor recalled a childhood spent in a housing project in the Bronx as well as her upper-echelon legal career: “I strive never to forget the real world consequences of my decisions on individuals, businesses and government.''


Barring the unexpected, Senate confirmation seems likely, given the large Democratic majority. If approved, she would join Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the second woman on the current court, the third in history. She would succeed retiring Justice David Souter.


Senate Republicans pledged to give her a fair hearing. Given her background, any decision to filibuster could carry political risks, since Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the population and an increasingly important one politically.


Sotomayor would be unlikely to alter the ideological balance of the court, since Souter generally sides with the liberals on key 5-4 rulings. But at 54, she is a generation younger that Souter, and liberal outside groups hope she will provide a counterpoint to some of the sharply worded conservative rulings.


Introducing his choice, Obama said, “Along the way, she's faced down barriers, overcome the odds and lived out the American dream that brought her parents here so long ago.''


The president called on the Senate to confirm Sotomayor before the court begins its new term in October, and noted pointedly that she has already won Senate approval twice in her career.


She was nominated a federal judge by a Republican, President George H.W. Bush, then elevated to the appeals court by a Democrat, Bill Clinton. Senate Republicans slow-walked her confirmation more than a decade ago, in part because she was viewed even then as a potential pick for the Supreme Court.


The White House announcement ceremony was a picture of diversity, the first black president, appointing the first Hispanic Supreme Court justice, joined by Vice President Joe Biden, who is white.


Sotomayor's nomination opens a new phase in the drive to replace Souter, as liberal and conservative groups alike scour the record she has compiled in 17 years on the federal bench.


In one of her most notable decisions, as an appellate judge she sided last year with the city of New Haven, Conn., in a discrimination case brought by white firefighters. The city threw out results of a promotion exam because too few minorities scored high enough. Coincidentally, that case is now before the Supreme Court.


That ruling has already drawn criticism from conservatives, and is likely to play a role in her confirmation hearing.


In one of her most memorable rulings as federal district judge, in 1995, Sotomayor ruled with Major League Baseball players over owners in a labor strike that had led to the cancellation of the World Series.


Obama referred to that in his remarks, then joked he hoped her support for the Yankees would not unduly influence New Englanders to oppose her in the Senate.


Among them is Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who said, “The American people will want the Senate to carry out its constitutional duty with conscientiousness and civility.''


The Senate Republican leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, issued a statement that said: “Senate Republicans will treat Judge Sotomayor fairly. But we will thoroughly examine her record to ensure she understands that the role of a jurist in our democracy is to apply the law evenhandedly, despite their own feelings or personal or political preferences.''


In his remarks, Obama made no mention of his earlier statement that he wanted a justice with empathy, although his remark that compassion was needed came close.



Sotomayor grew up in New York after her parents moved from Puerto Rico. She has dealt with diabetes since age 8 and lost her father at age 9, growing up under the care of her mother in humble surroundings. As a girl, inspired by the Perry Mason television show, she knew she wanted to be a judge.


A graduate of Princeton University and Yale Law School, a former prosecutor and private attorney, Sotomayor became a federal judge for the Southern District of New York in 1992. She became an appeals judge in 1998 for the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers New York, Vermont and Connecticut.


At her Senate confirmation hearing more than a decade ago, she said, “I don't believe we should bend the Constitution under any circumstance. It says what it says. We should do honor to it.''


Obama's nomination is the first by a Democratic president in 15 years.


One conservative group did not wait for the formal announcement. Wendy Long of the Judicial Confirmation Network, issued a statement calling Sotomayor a “liberal judicial activist of the first order who thinks her own personal political agenda is more important that the law as written.''


Abortion rights have been a flashpoint in several recent Supreme Court confirmations, although Sotomayor has not written any controversial rulings on the subject.


As a federal appeals court judge in 2002, she ruled against an abortion rights group that had challenged a government policy prohibiting foreign organizations receiving U.S. funds from performing or supporting abortions.


In her opinion, Sotomayor wrote that the government was free to favor the anti-abortion position over a pro-choice position when public funds were involved.


Sotomayor has spoken about her pride in her ethnic background and has said that personal experiences “affect the facts that judges choose to see.''


“I simply do not know exactly what the difference will be in my judging,'' she said in a speech in 2002. “But I accept there will be some based on my gender and my Latina heritage.''

From the moment Souter announced his resignation, it was widely assumed Obama would select a woman to replace him, and perhaps a Hispanic as well.


Obama came to office at a time when several potential vacancies loomed on the high court. Justice John Paul Stevens at is 89, and Ginsburg recently underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer.



By Ben Feller - Associated Press Writer

Advice: How to Get Feedback from an Interview

Alina Dizik cuts right to the heart of the matter of how to find out if you actually interviewed well! And that is NO easy task! Read on! What do YOU think?

Advice: How to Get Feedback from an Interview
By Alina Dizik

Getting interview feedback from a recruiter can help build your interview skills, but it’s important to use the right approach when asking–so you don’t harm your chances of landing the job, says Bill McGowan, founder of Clarity Media Group, a New York-based training and communications firm. Mr. McGowan offers advice on how to gather feedback during the job search.


What should you keep in mind when asking for feedback?
Don’t ask for feedback in a way that makes you sound defensive or insecure. Rather than say, ‘I’m afraid I might have come across unsure of my credentials,’ try, ‘I hope I was successful in thoroughly and clearly establishing why my credentials make me a good fit for this position.’ Remind them that this feedback is something you welcome in an effort to evolve and improve your own abilities, since you put a premium on effective communication skills. Do not give them the impression that you’re asking for feedback just to create more work for them. Keep your request for feedback professional, focused on your experience, expertise, recommendations from others and your ability to effectively convey what makes you a good candidate and distinctive from the other applicants.


How do you approach getting feedback–what are some of the logistics?
An email the following day thanking them for their time is the best vehicle in which to request feedback. But don’t ask for feedback with a tone that assumes the feedback is going to be negative. So perhaps saying, ‘I know you have a number of candidates to consider, and each of us likes to think we performed well in the interview. But there’s tremendous value in receiving feedback from your objective viewpoint. Embracing feedback as an opportunity to learn is how I’ve managed to grow and improve my skills in all of my previous positions, so thank you in advance for sharing any observations you feel would be constructive.’ If you do not get the job, it might be useful to send a follow-up email asking if the position went to someone else based on experience, or was the interview the determining factor.


What should a job seeker not ask when requesting interview feedback?
Try not to ask for feedback in areas that would make employers feel uncomfortable. For example, don’t ask if they thought you were dressed inappropriately, or whether your age was a negative. If you have a strong speech impediment or accent, do not ask if that torpedoed your chances.


How does feedback from an interviewer help in the job search?
Three themes must come through in any job interview and you must ask the interviewer to give you feedback as to whether you were clear in making these points: How your specific previous experience has given you the skills and tools that would allow you to excel in the job you’re seeking, how your advance research of the prospective employer revealed a number of project areas that dovetail with what you’re professionally passionate about, and what makes you distinctive from the other candidates they’ve interviewed.


After what type of interview should you seek feedback?
Any type of job that requires client relations and the skills necessary for successfully interacting with people on a regular basis will make it all the more important that you perform well in a job interview: public relations, marketing or sales. Many people do not ask for feedback for fear they’re going to hear criticism. Improving job interviewing skills requires a thick skin and a determination to improve through critical self examination.


What should job hunters avoid?
Do not let your request for feedback stand alone. It should be couched in a broader thank you note–otherwise, it’s as if you’re giving the interviewer more work to do. Don’t approach the request from a standpoint of insecurity, like, ‘I’m afraid I might have come off as lacking confidence.’ Dont’ ask simplistically, ‘How did I do?’


Who else besides a recruiter can you ask for feedback?
Visiting a job interviewing coach can be a useful way to spar with a professional communications analyst in advance of your interview. Short of that, videotape yourself role-playing through a job interview with a family member or friend, and then examine the video with a mentor for constructive criticism. Even without a mentor, looking at yourself on tape is an amazing learning tool.


Readers, do you find feedback from past interviews are valuable learning tool? How have you obtained feedback from previous interviews?


You can comment here on this blog or at http://blogs.wsj.com/laidoff/2009/05/19/advice-how-to-get-feedback-from-an-interview/