Chemerinsky defends Sotomayor

Erwin Chemerinsky heartily endorses Sonia Sotomayor.

The former Duke University law professor, who moderated a forum with the Supreme Court nominee in 2005, said he thinks she is "terrific for the Supreme Court and the future of constitutional law," in a blog post on The New Republic today.

Now the dean of the U.C.-Irvine law school, he also said criticism of her is misguided.

"I think that is much ado about nothing," he wrote in an e-mail to the Duke Chronicle. "Of course, judges' life experience influence how they see the issues and matters before them. Judge Sotomayor's statement was innocuous and true. I think that this is grasping at straws to try and paint her a liberal."

It's not clear that Chemerinsky is responding to the comment that the Court of Appeals "is where policy is made," however.

It sounds more like a defense of Sotomayor's remark during a speech at U.C.-Berkeley in 2001 that has also been criticized.

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life," she said.

Update: Chemerinsky e-mailed Dome with a more explicit defense.

"Judge Sotomayor's comment was innocuous and true," he wrote. "Appellate judges and Supreme Court Justices must make choices about the law that include consideration of policy issues. Every first year law student knows this. I am amazed that anyone is making anything of this comment."

Hat Tip: ZTracer