WASHINGTON // Citing her "inspiring life's journey", Barack Obama has picked Sonia Sotomayor, an appeals court judge from New York, to replace Justice David Souter, who is retiring from the US Supreme Court.
If confirmed by the Senate, Ms Sotomayor, 54, will become the third woman and first Hispanic to serve on the nine-judge court, which hands down many of the country's most consequential decisions.
In making his announcement yesterday, the president praised Ms Sotomayor's wide-ranging legal experience, which includes time as a prosecutor of violent crimes in New York City and as a corporate litigator for a private firm. She was chosen by a Republican president, George HW Bush, to serve as a trial judge on the US district court; a Democratic president, Bill Clinton, appointed her to the federal appeals court.
"Walking in the door she would bring more experience on the bench - and more varied experience on the bench - than anyone currently serving on the United States supreme court had when they were appointed," said Mr Obama, adding that this "exhaustive" selection process included consultation with legislators from both parties. "It's a career that has not only given her a sweeping overview of the American judicial system, but a practical understanding of how the law works in the everyday lives of the American people."
It was widely expected that Mr Obama would tap a minority to fill the vacancy. There is currently one woman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and one African-American, Clarence Thomas, on the court. The decision was applauded by members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, including Charles Gonzalez, a Democratic congressman from Texas, who called the selection of Ms Sotomayor, "tangible proof of the strength derived by the diversity represented in American society". Hispanics are the fastest-growing minority in the United States.
The pick of Ms Sotomayor also would seem to fulfil another of the president's goals: to find a nominee who can exhibit "empathy" and understanding of the effect of legal decisions on ordinary citizens.
Ms Sotomayor is the first nominee by a Democratic president in 15 years. She is thought to be a reliably liberal vote, though her selection would not substantially change the makeup of the court. Mr Souter was already among a bloc of four liberal-leaning justices.
Ms Sotomayor, who is of Puerto Rican descent, was raised in a New York public housing project by a single mother who worked six days a week as a nurse. Her father, a factory worker, died when she was nine years old. She earned a scholarship to Princeton University and Yale Law School. She has been divorced since 1983, has no children, and is reported to live in a modest New York apartment.
Ms Sotomayor said during brief comments that the "challenging circumstances" of her upbringing and her professional experience have shaped her philosophy as a judge.
"I strive never to forget the real-world consequences of my decisions on individuals, businesses and government," she said.
The talk of "real world" applications of the law has worried some Republicans and conservative activist groups who say it sounds like Ms Sotomayor will let her politics influence her decisions rather than employing a strict interpretation of the law.
Wendy Long of the conservative Judicial Confirmation Network issued a statement yesterday calling Ms Sotomayor a "liberal judicial activist of the first order who thinks her own personal political agenda is more important than the law as written".
Republicans have also been critical of Ms Sotomayor for saying in 2005 at Duke University that "the court of appeals is where policy is made". Critics say such comments are further evidence Ms Sotomayor will mix politics with her legal opinions.
She will now have to answer her critics during confirmation hearings before the Senate judiciary committee.
Although such hearings can be contentious - George W Bush's White House counsel, Harriet Miers, for example, withdrew her name amid criticism - many believe Ms Sotomayor will be approved by the time the high court begins its next session in October. Democrats hold a large majority in the Senate and could have a 60-vote filibuster-proof supermajority pending the outcome of the Minnesota Senate race, which is being contested in court in that state.
In one of her most notable rulings as an appellate judge, Ms Sotomayor was part of a three-judge panel that sided with the city of New Haven, Connecticut, in a discrimination suit brought by a group of white firemen. The firemen were questioning the city's decision not to certify a test that would have made a disproportionate number of white applicants eligible for promotions. In the ruling, the judges said that although they were "not unsympathetic to the plaintiff's expression of frustration", they were bound by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to decide in favour of the city.
The case, which is on appeal, is scheduled to appear before the Supreme Court.
Ms Sotomayor is also well known for issuing an injunction against Major League Baseball owners, effectively ending a baseball strike that had become the longest work stoppage in professional sports history. "Some say Judge Sotomayor saved baseball," Mr Obama acknowledged with a smile.
For her part, Ms Sotomayor sought to assure her detractors that she would not deviate from the principles of the US Constitution.
"For as long as I can remember, I have been inspired by the achievement of our Founding Fathers. They set forth principles that have endured for more than two centuries," she said.
"Those principles are as meaningful and relevant in each generation as the generation before. It would be a profound privilege for me to play a role in applying those principles to the questions and controversies we face today."
sstanek@thenational.ae
Company%20Profile
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Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE
Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2
Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers
Opening fixtures
Thursday, December 5
6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles
7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers
7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles
7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2
Recent winners
2018 Dubai Hurricanes
2017 Dubai Exiles
2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
MORE ON TURKEY'S SYRIA OFFENCE
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Sleep Well Beast
The National
4AD
MATCH INFO
Osasuna 1 Real Madrid 4
Osasuna: García (14')
Real Madrid: Isco (33'), Ramos (38'), Vázquez (84'), Jovic (90' 2)
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Kanye%20West
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MATCH INFO
Newcastle 2-2 Manchester City
Burnley 0-2 Crystal Palace
Chelsea 0-1 West Ham
Liverpool 2-1 Brighton
Tottenham 3-2 Bournemouth
Southampton v Watford (late)
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sweet%20Tooth
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJim%20Mickle%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChristian%20Convery%2C%20Nonso%20Anozie%2C%20Adeel%20Akhtar%2C%20Stefania%20LaVie%20Owen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Company%20Profile
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India team for Sri Lanka series
Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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RESULTS
2.30pm Jaguar I-Pace – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt)
1,600m
Winner Namrood, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
(trainer)
3.05pm Land Rover Defender – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D)
1,400m
Winner Shadzadi, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
3.40pm Jaguar F-Type – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner Tahdeed, Fernando Jara, Nicholas Bachalard
4.15pm New Range Rover – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
4.50pm Land Rover – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner Autumn Pride, Bernardo Pinheiro, Helal Al Alawi
5.25pm Al Tayer Motor – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 T) 1,000m
Winner Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm Jaguar F-Pace SVR – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner Scabbard, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
How Filipinos in the UAE invest
A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.
Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).
Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.
Company%20profile
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