For Hispanics, Sotomayor Cause for Cheers, Musing

(NEWSER) - President Obama has narrowed his list of Supreme Court picks to at least six names, with women in five of the top spots, reports CNN. Obama is expected to make a selection by Memorial Day, sources say. Among the finalists: Federal appeals court judges Sonia Sotomayor and Diane Wood; Solicitor General Elena Kagan; Homeland Security chief Janet Napolitano; Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm; and California Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno. More»

And things aren't looking good for Mitt Romney

(NEWSER) - If he wants to win in November, Mitt Romney will need to make giant strides among Hispanics, and he knows it. A failure to do so "spells doom for us," he was caught saying at a fundraiser. President Obama already appears to have a large electoral-vote lead—247 to 191—and the Hispanic vote is key to winning states that remain in play. But Obama, who leads among Hispanics by 67% to 27%, already has some big advantages: Romney has, for instance, backed Arizona's controversial immigration law and opposed the Dream Act. More»

Obama too timid on federal nominees, with big issues coming

(NEWSER) - With big issues working their way toward the Supreme Court on such vital issues as health care reform, same-sex marriage, affirmative action, and police stops of undocumented immigrants, liberals need to be on guard, writes longtime court-watcher Emily Bazelon for the New York Times . Sure, there are solid progressives, such as Obama appointees Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. But frequent swing vote Anthony Kennedy, while he may side with liberals on occasion, has a voting record on par with Ronald Reagan. More»

Says she burst into tears when Obama gave her the news

(NEWSER) - Sonia Sotomayor sat by the phone for 12 hours waiting for the call. When it finally rang, “I had my left hand over my chest, trying to calm my beating heart,” she recalls in an interview with C-SPAN. When President Obama offered her the Supreme Court appointment, “I caught my breath and started to cry and said, ‘Thank you, Mr. President.'” More»

Poll numbers plummeted amid Sotomayor, Gates controversies

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s downward opinion-poll trajectory among whites seems to be linked to the “blackening” of his image, writes Joan Walsh in Salon. It accelerated during two racially charged moments this summer: Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court, marked with debate over her “wise Latina” comment, and the Henry Louis Gates controversy. At such times, Walsh argues, “there's no denying, he got blacker to a segment of the white population.” More»