For years, whenever her name came up as a potential Supreme Court justice, the rap on Judge Sonia Sotomayor was that she had a temper problem on the bench. And to prove the allegation, people would point to the anonymous comments made by lawyers who appeared before her published in the Almanac of the Federal Judiciary. The almanac solicits such comments about all federal judges, and they were specially tough on her.
Late today, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) finally asked Sotomayor about those comments, calling it "pretty tough stuff." More than once he said the comments were very different from those about other judges on the Second Circuit. He asked Sotomayor whether she was a bully, and Sotomayor replied no.
"I do ask tough questions at oral argument," she acknowledged. Noting that at the 2nd circuit arguments run 10 minutes for each side, she said the circuit has the reputation of being a "hot bench" -- implying that to get questions in, judges have to be forceful. "My reputation is that I ask the hard questions and I do it for both sides."
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