| FOP Backs Sotomayor for Supreme Court |
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FOP Backs Sotomayor for Supreme Court 06/09/2009 "Judge Sotomayor began her legal career as a prosecutor in the District of Manhattan where she tried many criminal cases, including a prominent role in convicting the 'Tarzan murderer,'" Canterbury said. "It says a lot about a young lawyer coming out of Yale with a record like hers that she would sign up with the District Attorney's office at a time when crime in our urban centers was increasing at a terrible rate." Judge Sotomayor spent five years in the District Attorney's office, followed by several years in private practice. In 1992, she was nominated to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by President George H.W. Bush, and was unanimously approved by the Committee on the Judiciary and then unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, making her the youngest judge in the district. In 1998, she was named to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, one of the most demanding circuits in the country, by President William J. Clinton. As an appellate judge, she has participated in over 3,000 panel decisions and authored roughly 400 opinions, handling difficult issues of constitutional law, complex procedural matters, and lawsuits involving complicated business organizations. "Over the course of her career, she has demonstrated herself to be a sharp and fact-driven jurist, analyzing each case on its merits and weighing the facts before rendering any decision," Canterbury said. "Having reviewed numerous rulings she's made which touched on law enforcement officers, I can say this is a judge in whom any beat cop could have confidence." Canterbury cited the judge's rulings in United States v. Santa, United States v. Heatley, and United States v. Clarke, as decisions in which Judge Sotomayor "made the right call" in weighing the facts of the case and the good faith actions of the investigating law enforcement officers to admit evidence at trial and uphold convictions. "Our National Executive Board considered these cases, as well as others, and the decision to support Judge Sotomayor was unanimous," Canterbury said. "From the standpoint of the officer as a government employee and as a cop on the street, I think we can have a lot of confidence in her judgement. We will be working hard to support her nomination." |