May 26, 2009 - Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, gave the following statement in response to President Barack Obama’s announcement that he will nominate Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court.

"Judge Sotomayor has experienced first-hand the blessing of equal opportunity, freedom, and opportunity in America." Franks stated.  "Her story should inspire every person who is struggling to persevere and to believe that their ability to achieve great things is limited only by their imagination and their determination to persevere in the face of great challenges. 

"However, it is unfortunate that Judge Sotomayor has nevertheless exhibited a level of 'identity politics' from her place on a federal court that would become inexpressibly dangerous if such a belief system were given a platform on the Supreme Court of the United States.  Judge Sotomayor has stated that the Courts are where 'policy is made.' Some of the most tragic mistakes in American history began with an errant Supreme Court decision where Justices thought they could decide a monumental policy issue better than the authors of the Constitution and better than the majority of the American People.  The Dred Scott decision and the Roe v. Wade decision have both emerged as a result of such an ideology, and both have cost millions of innocent lives and left a tragic scar on the soul of our nation.

"It's incumbent on each of my colleagues in the Senate to deliberately and thoroughly consider her history of extreme and errant interpretations of the Constitution as they go forward with considering her nomination."