Washington, D.C. – In response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the Ricci v. Stefano case, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand issued the following statement:
“Detractors are wrong to use this narrowly-decided decision as criticism of Judge Sotomayor, who did exactly what she was supposed to do in this case. She and the other Circuit Court Judges strictly followed precedent, which the Supreme Court has reinterpreted today.
“Judge Sotomayor strictly and fairly applied the law in this case, as she has done throughout her long, distinguished career on the bench. After a comprehensive analysis of her judicial record, the non-partisan Congressional Research Service recently concluded that Judge Sotomayor shows a consistent adherence to the upholding of past judicial precedents. Judge Sotomayor is a jurist who bases her decisions on the underlying legal precedent and will continue this approach on the Supreme Court.”