Maybe so, according to this article in The Washington Times:
Lawyers who have argued cases before Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor call her “nasty,” “angry” and a “terror on the bench,” according to the current Almanac of the Federal Judiciary — a kind of Zagat’s guide to federal judges.
The withering evaluation of Judge Sotomayor’s temperament stands in stark contrast to reviews of her peers on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Of the 21 judges evaluated, the same lawyers gave 18 positive to glowing reviews and two judges received mixed reviews. Judge Sotomayor was the only one to receive decidedly negative comments.
Judge Sotomayor’s demeanor on the bench will be one of the issues the Senate Judiciary Committee tackles when she appears for her confirmation hearing. A lack of a good temperament has been used as a line of attack against nominees in the past – most notably conservative Judge Robert H. Bork, whose nomination to the Supreme Court was defeated.
I don’t view this as a bad thing, necessarily. Justice Scalia, after all, is known for his aggressive questioning of counsel during oral arguments before the court. It will be interesting to see how she handles herself during her confirmation hearing.
