Opinion: Sotomayor hearings: Getting to the heart of the matter

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Judge Sonia Sotomayor just got to brass tacks, as Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) pushed and pushed on the issue of gun rights and whether she would vote to extend the ruling in District of Columbia vs. Heller to the states.

‘Assure your constituents that I have a completely open mind on this question,’ Sotomayor said.

Later, she made it more plain: ‘Senator, would you want a judge or a nominee who came in here and said, ‘I agree with you, senator, this is unconstitutional,’ before I had a case before me, with both sides discussing it with me?’

Coburn said no, of course, he didn’t. And then he repeated his question.

-- James Oliphant

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