Flashback: Cox on Blanche Lincoln and the SCOTUS (Updated!)

With all the world aflutter about Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s first Supreme Court nomination, it’s as good a time as any to look back to the halcyon days of, uh, earlier this month, when Arkansas Project guest contributor/legal affairs analyst Cory Allen Cox pondered the question: What will Sen. Blanche Lincoln, facing re-election in 2010, do on Obama’s Supreme Court nominations?

UPDATE: Lincoln’s official statement at the jump, if that’s your thing. And Sen. Mark Pryor’s, too!

Also, blogger Zack Stovall is all up in Mike Huckabee’s face for releasing an early statement opposing the nomination in which he inadvertently referred to the judge as “Maria Sotomayor.” Huckabee issued a corrected statement shortly thereafter, and explained that they were composing the statement in a car and mistyped the name.

Not addressed in all of this is why it was so damn important for Huckabee, who is the host of a television show, to get a statement out IMMEDIATELY, instead of, you know, maybe getting wherever the hell he was going and THEN sending it along. Just an idea.

Lincoln Statement on Judge Sonia Sotomayor

Washington – U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) today issued the following statement on Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Obama’s nominee to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter.  Judge Sotomayor currently serves as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

“I believe the people of Arkansas and our nation deserve a Supreme Court Justice who is able to interpret and apply the law fairly without political favor or bias,” Lincoln said. “Ensuring that a nominee meets this standard is an obligation I have sworn to uphold as a United States Senator, and moreover, is the standard that Americans expect for a lifetime appointment to our nation’s highest court.

“Judge Sotomayor has an inspiring story of success in the face of hardship. Arkansans can appreciate the fact that she has been no stranger to hard work, and her academic and professional record speaks for itself.  She has been nominated by both Democratic and Republican Presidents and has been confirmed twice by the Senate with strong, bipartisan support under both Democratic and Republican majorities. I look forward to carefully reviewing the qualifications of Judge Sotomayor as her confirmation process moves forward.”

Statement by Sen. Mark Pryor On the Nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court

“I would expect President Obama, a former constitutional law professor, to select a high-caliber nominee who shares a deep respect for our Constitution and the rule of law. Indeed, Judge Sotomayor has impeccable credentials and an extraordinary American story. It is also critically important that she possess the proper judicial temperament and the ability to be fair and impartial. I believe this criterion is essential; activist judges have no place on the highest court of the land. That’s why I plan to carefully review Judge Sonia Sotomayor judicial record and philosophy as the Senate confirmation process advances.”

“U.S. Supreme Court nominees deserve a high threshold of review. I believe Judge Sotomayor’s confirmation hearing should be rigorous, but fair. I am encouraged that her earlier nominations to the bench – by both a Democratic and Republican president — have received strong, bipartisan support. It is my hope the Senate can carry out its constitutional duty in a similar fashion with good-faith and civility, and not allow rhetoric to cloud the confirmation process.”

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