The Center for Competitive Politics released the following statement on the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States:
“The nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court should concern supporters of free political speech and association,” said CCP Chairman Bradley A. Smith. “Judge Sotomayor has signaled that she does not view the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment as among the most important Americans possess.”
“Just a few years ago, Judge Sotomayor ignored Americans’ free political speech and association rights by refusing to rehear a case upholding a Vermont law that strictly limited expenditures of candidates running for office — directly contradicting the Supreme Court’s decision in Buckley v. Valeo. Judge Sotomayor’s refusal to hear the case also would have allowed Vermont to impose extremely low contribution limits, which severely restrict the ability of candidates to communicate with voters. The Supreme Court reversed both of Judge Sotomayor’s positions in Randall v. Sorrell the very next term. We’re hopeful that in future campaign finance cases, Judge Sotomayor will weigh Americans’ precious First Amendment rights more heavily.”
