Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz) announced on Monday he will not vote to confirm Judge Sonia Sotomayor.
One of McCain’s closest Senate allies, Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), was the only Republican member of the Judiciary Committee to back Sotomayor during the panel’s vote last week.
The Arizona Republican stated his opposition to Sotomayor in a floor speech today.
“An individual who does not appreciate the common sense limitations on judicial power in our democratic system of government ultimately lacks a key qualification for a lifetime appointment to the bench,” McCain said.
McCain said that judicial activism was the only reason he will vote against Sotomayor.
“I know of no more profoundly anti-democratic attitude than that expressed by those who want judges to discover and enforce the ever-changing boundaries of a so-called ‘living Constitution,'” he added.
McCain, however, also mentioned the Democratic filibuster of Miguel Estrada’s appeals court nomination, saying “an excellent resume and an inspiring life story are not enough to qualify one for a lifetime of service on the Supreme Court.”
The Supreme Court’s reversal of the New Haven, CT firefighter case Ricci v. DeStefano also played into McCain’s decision. “This case proves that Judge Sotomayor does not faithfully apply the law we legislators enact,” he said.