Thread: 87% Expect Sotomayor Will Be Confirmed, 45% Say She Should B

87% Expect Sotomayor Will Be Confirmed, 45% Say She Should Be

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Eighty-seven percent (87%) of voters nationwide believe Judge Sonia Sotomayor will be confirmed as the next U.S. Supreme Court justice. That figure includes 59% who believe her confirmation is Very Likely.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just five percent (5%) say her confirmation by the Senate is unlikely.

Forty-five percent (45%) favor confirmation of Sotomayor, who, if approved by the Senate, will be the first Hispanic member of the high court. Twenty-nine percent (29%) oppose her confirmation, and 26% are not sure.

Most Democrats favor confirmation while most Republicans are opposed. Among those not affiliated with either major party, 41% favor confirmation, and 29% are opposed. Hispanic voters favor confirmation by a 66% to 15% margin.

Forty-nine percent (49%) of all voters have a favorable opinion of Sotomayor while 36% hold an unfavorable view. Twenty percent (20%) have a Very Favorable opinion while 17% hold a Very Unfavorable view. Forty-eight percent (48%) hold their views less firmly, and 15% are undecided. Once again, the partisan divide is as expected.

Forty-three percent (43%) believe that Sotomayor is politically liberal while 32% view her as a moderate. A plurality of Democrats view the Supreme Court nominee as politically moderate while most Republicans and a plurality of unaffiliateds view her as politically liberal.

As the Senate considers President Obama’s first Supreme Court nominee, 45% of the nation’s voters say a nominee's legal competence is more important than concerns about diversity or their position on issues.

Voters are fairly closely divided over the political makeup of the current high court. Thirty-three percent (33%) say the court is too liberal, while 23% believe it’s too conservative. Thirty-seven percent (37%) say the political balance is about right.

Before Sotomayor was selected as the nominee, 42% believed the president’s nominee would be too liberal, while 41% said his choice would be about right.

Sixty-three percent (63%) say justices should base their rulings on what is written in the Constitution. Thirty percent (30%) say they should be guided by perceptions of fairness and justice. The president himself said he was looking for a candidate with "empathy" in naming Sotomayor.

Forty percent (40%) of voters say they’ve followed news stories about the nomination Very Closely. Another 36% have been following Somewhat Closely.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_ ... _should_be

Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely! At this point in time the Democrats seem to think they are invincible..........but the true power lies with the American people............we are the engine that allows them to move forward.