Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he will not not vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, even though he believes she is “an outstanding individual.”
McConnell said he can’t back Sotomayor because of the things she has said repeatedly in speeches that suggest she relies on personal experiences and prejudices to govern her decisions.
“Her personal views lead me to believe she lacks the objectivity you would prefer to have in the Supreme Court,” McConnell said.
McConnell said he is using the same argument made by then Sen. Barack Obama when he opposed the nominations of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, both appointed by President Bush.
McConnell would not say whether he believed Sotomayor’s confirmation is a sure thing, despite the fact that Democrats control at least 58 votes (with Sens. Ted Kennedy and Robert Byrd ailing), and at least three Republicans have said they will vote for her.
