ABA Gives Judge Sotomayor its Highest Rating: "Well Qualified" to Serve on Supreme Court

The Blog of Legal Times (BLT) reports that Judge Sonya Sotomayor of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has been rated "well qualified," the highest possible rating, from the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary. The committee's vote was unanimous. David Clark of the Jackson office of Bradley Arant, is one of the fifteen members of the committee.

I count David as a friend and consider him one of the best litigators in Jackson. He is well known as one of the leaders in the movement for "tort reform" in Mississippi, and was named a Legal Reform Champion by the American Tort Reform Association. Suffice it to say, he is a pro-business lawyer. I note this to respond to those who will say that the ABA is a "liberal" organization and therefore should not be considered neutral in the nomination process. It is also noteworthy that the ABA gave similar ratings to Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito when they were nominated by President Bush.

This endorsement of Judge Sotomayor should help to put to rest the stated concerns about whether she has the legal and personal skills necessary to serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court. But I doubt that the Republicans will stop their opposition to her candidacy.